Realize
by BeautifullyImperfect
Summary: It wasn't too long ago that sixteen year old Chloe King wished for things to be different. I guess its true. You should be careful what you wish for. Chloe has a lot to learn, could a certain cocky Mai be the one to teach her. Chloe/Alek, M for lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic ever so be gentle...**

**The Nine Lives of Chloe King is my new favorite show, and the way the writers have the Alek/Chloe relationship progressing is a little too slow for me. So... I took matters into my own hands. This story is going to be based on the show but not exactly, lets just say I'm not a Brian fan and he will be making his exit shortly... hope you enjoy this. **

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><p>I never planned on being the <em>Uniter <em>or some _chosen one_. I mean those terms are best left for films and fictional novels. Things like that just don't exist, not in my world— Or so I thought.

A couple of weeks ago the most life altering thing going on in my life was turning sixteen, and now I'm suddenly being hunted down by some scar faced freak who is apparently working for some kind of _Order_.

Don't get me wrong my newly acquired abilities are pretty damn cool, but I could do without the constant need to watch my back. I know that I wished for things to change, but this is just ridiculous. Now I need to focus on not getting killed or accidentally kissing a guy. Not only am I a freak, but I now possess the kiss of death; just what every girl wants to hear. I still can't believe Xavier died, and I'm the one who caused it. I wish I could take it all back. I would give up all of these gifts, good and bad, if it meant not having someone's death on my conscious.

I sighed and wiped away the tear that had rolled down my cheek.

And that's when I heard it. The subtle creaking of wood above me. I stopped breathing for a moment hoping it was just my imagination. But I heard it again and there was no mistaking it this time. Those were footsteps— Someone was on the roof.

A wave of panic shot through me as the first thing that came to mind was my mother. I know for a fact the Order has absolutely no problem in threatening my family and friends. I may have eight more lives to go, but she sure as hell doesn't.

I guess you could say my instincts took over because the fear was quickly pushed away.

Without a second thought I quickly put on a pair of shoes and slipped into my grey hoodie.

I walked over to my bedroom window and pushed it up as silently as possible.

I cast a glance over my shoulder, looking at the door, before finally making my way over the window sill, landing on the asphalt rooftop with a soft thud.

I took a look around and saw nothing, but my ears were telling me something completely different. I could hear the very distinct sound of footsteps nearby. So somebody really was on the roof? After what I've been told and seen in the last couple of days nothing shocks me anymore. My inner monologue was immediately stopped when I saw them. A few houses down there was someone wearing dark clothing. I couldn't see there face because of their hood was up, but they were definitely watching me.

"Hey!" I called out.

They turned around and ran. I immediately took off after them.

The way they moved wasn't normal in the least. They seemed to glide effortlessly over the rooftops. They were fast too, but I kept up. Now that I think about it they moved a lot like me as of lately.

I jumped over the roof they'd just gone over and landed on a flat concrete rooftop of what appeared to be a shop. I looked around while catching my breath, but I saw no one. _Great I lost them. _I couldn't decide if this was a good or bad thing. They could come back just as easily as they had left.

I jogged over to the buildings ledge and jumped up. Looking down I saw nothing but a dark alley. It was definitely a long drop down.

Suddenly I got that feeling as though someone were watching me.

_Crap, I knew it was too easy._

I felt a presence behind me and turned around quickly, shocked by what I saw, but before I had time to react to who was before me I felt myself losing my footing on the ledge. I gasped at the exact same moment that I felt a pair of strong hands grabbing my wrist and pulling me forward. My body soon collided with a solid chest.

Apparently the collision was more forceful than either one of us anticipated because we both ended up on the ground. A low groan brought me back to reality. My fall was broken by the body that was currently under mine… I guess he wasn't so lucky. That's right, _he—_Alek.

My green eyes snapped up to meet his Hazel ones.

"Now would this be the second or third time that I've saved your life?" Glad to see his humor was still intact. He was fucking smirking. _Bastard_. I would have to be blind to not notice how gorgeous he really was, especially this close, but then he had to go and open that smartass mouth of his.

Normally British accents would make me melt and not care at all about the meaning of the actual words, but in Alek's case it was no match for his cockiness.

Well looks like he's forgotten that I can give just as much as I can take. I huffed and was about to give him my own snaky remark when I noticed our positioning. For one I was still on top of him; his arms however had now rapped themselves around my waist and I was still clutching onto his shoulders. I looked anywhere but his eyes. _Okay… this is awkward. _

"Cat got your tongue?" I gave him a pointed look.

"Very funny" I pushed forcefully against his chest, getting out of his hold and up to my feet. He chuckled before following suit and brushing himself off. I took the opportunity to get a good look at him. The outfit he was wearing was definitely meant for stealth. He was wearing dark faded jeans and a black hoodie. He even had a black beanie on. _What, was the guy planning a heist or something?_

"So what's up with the _Mission Impossible _attire and why were you on my roof?" I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him an expectant look.

He took off his beanie and ran his hand through his hair.

"Hey, snide remarks are my thing." He said this with narrowed eyes, but I could tell a smile was fighting to make its way onto his lips.

I chuckled but said nothing, waiting for him to continue.

His face lost its humor and he looked me directly in the eyes.

"I'm trying to keep you safe. It's my job to make sure nothing happens to you." His jaw noticeably tensed and his eyes darkened, "speaking of which, do you know how easily I could have killed you just now? All I had to do was push and you would have lost another life." With that said he sat up onto that very ledge I almost fell from, looking frustrated.

For some reason I felt guilty. He was right, there is a fine line between daring and carelessness. I apparently had to learn where exactly it was drawn, and stop crossing it.

I sighed and walked over to where he was sitting, taking a seat next to him.

"Look Alek, you're right and I'm sorry," He finally looked up at me, seeming much calmer. "But I didn't know it was you. I thought you were one of _them_. All I thought about was protecting my mom. Its really hard knowing someone you care about could be in constant danger."

He mumbled something that sounded along the lines of _tell me about it_. I acted as though I didn't hear him and didn't press for him to elaborate.

"Why did you run though? Why not just say "Hey Chloe its Alek no need to freak out."

He looked at me for a second and then grinned.

"Lets just say it was a test, and you failed."

Noticing my obvious disbelief, he continued.

"The fact is there are people out there that want you dead. You need to always be conscious of that. You need to be able to set apart risks you should take from risks you shouldn't."

He reached out and touched my shoulder.

"I know you want to keep your mother safe, but don't do it alone. That's what they want. To distract you and get you by yourself. Next time if you feel your being watched, call Jasmine or myself. If you ever feel threatened call me _any_ time and I'll be there as fast as I can. You're not in this alone you know."

His hand gave my shoulder a light squeeze and he smiled in reassurance.

I gave him a small smile back, but was eager to get rid of the serious and intense vibe around us. So… I couldn't help myself.

"Wow… who knew Alek "Jocko" Petrov had a soft and caring side." I laughed and got up walking away, leaving him shaking his head in disapproval.

He was in front of me faster than I could blink.

_Stupid superhuman speed. _

I was backed up into the wall leading to the steel door of the rooftop. Both of his hands were placed on the old brick wall on both sides of my head.

"See there's this thing called personal spa—"

"Shut up" He said abruptly cutting me off.

He started to lean in.

_Oh God, here we go again. _

I closed my eyes waiting for the contact.

Except I didn't feel his lips on mine. I felt his breath by my ear.

"Lets get one thing straight, I am **not** soft." He said in a low voice.

I shivered involuntarily and he chuckled, pulling back to look at me. I simply stared at him. What was there to say?

"Cold?" He asked with a knowing look.

I scoffed and pushed him away, "You wish."

I began walking away, making my way over to the wall that I had leapt from earlier. I could still hear him laughing.

Once I made it back into my bedroom I thought about what he had said. _You're not in this alone you know. _Those seven words echoed in the back of my mind. I know I have a lot depending on me, but I still have a hell of a lot to learn about separating my Mai instincts from my human impulses. Like I said, the line keeps getting blurry and my lives aren't the only thing I'm worried about.

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><p><strong>Well that's Chapter 1, tell me what you think. If you guys like it I will gladly continue. I'm not going to be one of those people who say give me a certain # of reviews and I'll update, although reviews do make me happy :)<strong>

**QUESTION: How should Brian make his exit? Or do you really want him to stay?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well I am happy to say I will be continuing this story.**

**Most of you seem to want Brian gone and he will be, but I haven't decided if I want to kill him off so quickly. (Remember a good story has angst somewhere down the road.)**

**I wrote this chapter last night quickly and honestly didn't put much thought into what to keep in and what to take out. As you'll be able to tell this is where it begins to go in my own direction.**

**- No I did not change my font for the story, keep reading and you'll see the purpose of the italics ;)**

**Hope you all enjoy it...**

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><p><span>Chapter 2<span>

_I was walking down an empty school hallway looking for Paul and Amy. Now that I think about it, looking for someone, anyone. The hallways were quiet and looked completely vacant. This wasn't right. For one, class hadn't started yet and two, there is always people ditching on a daily basis. The silence and stillness was beginning to give me an eerie feeling._

"_Chloe."_

_I whipped my head around in the direction of the sound. I could have sworn I heard someone say my name._

"_Chloe." _

_This time the voice came from the opposite end of the hallway. It sounded hushed, almost like a whisper._

"_Chloe."_

_Okay this was quickly leaving freaky and fast approaching cliché teen horror movie._

"_Okay who's there?" I asked toward the sound of the voice, all I got in response was silence._

_I tried again._

"_You've effectively freaked me out, you can come out now." I look toward both ends of the hallway, but there was still no sign of anyone._

"_Chloe, over here." This whisper was followed by a snicker._

_This time my brain didn't think 'practical joke', this time my mind was screaming for me to do one thing._

_Run._

_I was about to get the hell away from there, when I heard the slam of a locker closing._

_Oh. Shit._

_Voices in my head, fine. Actual evil presence, not so much._

_The sound of the locker closing came from behind me. It sounded far away, so I took my chances and turned around slowing, facing whoever wanted my attention so badly._

_They certainly got it._

_I looked down the hall and saw a dark figure. It was definitely a guy. He was too tall and his shoulders were to broad to be a woman. They were wearing faded jeans and worn brown leather jacket._

_He started walking forward, but I was frozen in place. The only change was the quickening of my breathing._

_As he got closer I finally saw his face._

"_Brian?" I let out a breath in relief._

_I ran forward and gave him a hug, glad that I wasn't alone anymore. He wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me back tightly in return._

"_God, I'm not even going to ask what you're doing here. I was so freaked out. I heard these voices and then the locker slamming shut. Then I saw someone at the end of the hallway, which thankfully turned out to be you." I finally finished my rant, out of breath, with my face buried in his chest. _

_Then I heard another voice whisper. This one; however, didn't come from the walls of the hallway surrounding us. It came from the back of my mind._

"_Don't trust him Chloe." I immediately froze. _

_I slowly pulled back from his chest, looking him dead in the eyes._

_"What did you say?" I didn't want to believe what my mind was telling me. _

_He chuckled and gave me an amused expression as he looked back into my own._

"I didn't say anything, w_hat's the matter?" He asked still smiling._

_As I started to back away from him, he dropped his arms. Realization must have hit him in that moment, because his lopsided smile fell slowly. He stood up straighter and his jaw tensed._

"_Chloe I don't know wha-" he took a step towards me and I immediately stepped back, causing him to stop mid sentence._

_I thought I was safe._

_I thought wrong._

_Then I saw his aura start to change. It went from white to a deep scarlet shade of red. _

_He was angry._

_I used all of the power in my arms and pushed hard against his chest. He went flying back and collided with the lockers to his left. The sound of his body hitting the steel was especially loud among the silence. My ears could still hear the low sound of rattling metal traveling down the hall._

_There was a dent from the force of the impact on the lockers, but he began to get up. The red coloration around him was glowing intensely now. He wasn't just angry, he was livid._

_I was met with a glare when our eyes locked. All hope that the voice in my head was wrong, was dead and buried in that moment._

_I didn't need to be told twice._

_I whipped my body in the opposite direction and ran down the hall. I reached the stairwell and jumped over them, landing on the ground effortlessly with both feet. I kept running until a finally reached the end of the adjoining hallways. I turned to the right and made my way down the corridor that lead to the double doors leading outside._

_When I finally made it to the doors, I was breathing hard and my heart was pounding. _

_I made to push the doors forcefully open, but they were locked._

_Of course they were, that would have been too easy. I sighed and dropped my head, both hands still on the metal doors._

_Then I felt something cold and metallic pressing into my neck. I swallowed audibly, and kept still._

"_That wasn't very nice Chloe" he added a bit more pressure to what I now realized was a knife at my throat. I hissed in pain and my claws retracted on instinct._

"_Now lets see if you can help me." My memories immediately flashed back to that day in the shop. I couldn't see his eyes, but I knew they no longer held any warmth. _

"_See, I'm about to kill this girl who has… eight lives I believe? How many times do you think she'll beg for her life?"_

_I didn't answer. I refused to give him the satisfaction._

_Apparently he didn't like that very much._

_He abruptly twisted my body around to face him. The blade of the knife was back at my throat before I even had time to notice its absence._

_He angled his head in my direction and cupped his ear with his free hand._

"_I'm sorry 'Kitten' I didn't catch your answer. What was that?"_

_I reached out and scratched him clear across his left cheek. He dropped the knife, the sound echoing down the hall, and staggered backwards, clutching the side of his face with both hands._

"_Fuck. You." His eyes darkened even more at my words and he removed his hands._

_He had five bloody scratch marks along his face._

"_How's that for a kitten?" Glad to see I still had my wit at a time like this._

_He reached behind him and I gasped._

"_How's _this_?" He cocked the handgun and pointed it in my direction._

"_Bye Chloe."_

BEEP BEEP BEEP!

I woke with a start and shot up in bed. I was breathing hard and had my hand over my chest, trying to calm myself down.

_It was only a dream._

It may have just been a dream, but this was the fourth one in the past week. They all end the same- I die. Well almost die, I always wake up before that part. That doesn't really put my mind at ease. Dreams are just that- Dreams, but mine are nightmares that have a very good possibility of actually coming true.

This last one was intense though. I can't believe Brian wanted to kill me.

_He could never hurt me, its the other way around._

I reached over and brought my hand down to quiet my alarm and grabbed my cell phone.

I quickly found my last text message and reread it.

**Text me tomorrow, Goodnight Chloe. - Brian**

_That doesn't sound like someone who wants to kill me._

I needed to talk to Jasmine and Alek about these dreams, figure out what they mean and more importantly how to get them to stop.

I glanced over, the time read 6:32 AM.

I sighed and got out of bed, making my way over to the bathroom for a shower.

_Here we go again. Another day._

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><p>"So let me get this straight… you died again?" Paul asked me as we were walking out of Chemistry.<p>

I shook my head.

"No, I died in my dream. It was more of a nightmare now that I think about it"

I looked around and was glad to see the school hallways fully populated by students. No eerie silence. No creepy whispers in the distance. After the nightmare I'd had, the loud sound of mindless chatter was music to my ears.

We walked out into the courtyard and sat down at an empty table.

Paul's face was still stuck on one setting. Fascinated. He'd been like this ever since he found out about my newly acquired abilities.

"Hey maybe its another Mai power" I gave him a clueless look and he elaborated.

"What if they're not dreams, what if they're premonitions or something?"

My face remained blank and I didn't say anything. Acknowledging that possibility meant it might be true, and that is something I did not want.

"Speaking of Mai stuff I-" He stopped speaking when he noticed something behind me.

His expression was calm at first, but then his eyes widened and he gulped loudly.

He grabbed his backpack off the table and rose out of his seat quickly, almost tripping in the process.

"Uh I- I've got to go. Umm f-find…" His eyes were still set behind me.

"Amy?" I finished for him.

He finally looked at me as he swung his bag over his shoulder. He laughed nervously at my response.

"Y-Yeah Amy, later Chloe." He was gone before I could even open my mouth.

I finally looked behind me and saw what had him stuttering like an idiot, and forgetting his girlfriends name.

I wasn't surprised at who stood behind me.

"So what exactly did you do to make Paul act like that?" I asked turning back around and resting my head on my hand.

" Like a stuttering fool? That's all him." He walked over to where I was sitting and sat on the concrete tabletop.

I gave him my best disapproving look, although that was pretty funny.

"Alek, that's not funny" I lied, so sue me. Paul's one of my best friends.

He laughed and started to smirk.

_Again with that damn smirk. _

He motioned with his head in my direction.

"Then why are you smiling?" He had a playful glint in his eyes as he asked this.

_Was I smiling?_

He looked so smug.

_Now I wanted to slap that smirk off his face. I could do that right? _

He crossed his arms over his chest and gave me a pointed look.

Still smirking.

_Hold back. Not worth it. _

"Yeah, that's what I thought. But in all seriousness, lets just say Paul and I have a certain _understanding_."

His eyes looked mischievous when he said _understanding_. He clearly meant something completely different from its implied meaning.

"Alright I'll deal with _that _later, right now, I need to talk to you."

My sudden serious tone of voice must have given him the wrong message because his jaw tensed and he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Did someone try to hurt you again? I told Jasmine we needed more-"

I reached my hand out and placed it on his forearm in an attempt to calm him.

"No, Alek, nobody tried anything. Not in realife anyway." I laced my voice with as much reassurance as I possibly could.

He looked at me like I was out of my mind.

"I had a dream." He let out a breath and visibly relaxed, so I went on, "Actually… I've been having these nightmares for the past few weeks now. I'm always being chased and they all end the same- with my death."

He was looking at me strangely. His eyebrows were furrowed in thought, as though he were trying to put a puzzle together. He must have clicked all of the pieces into place because a flicker of an emotion I couldn't quite read made its way into his eyes.

He shook his head. Probably ruling out a possibility. I didn't bother to ask.

The bell for third period rang and I stood up, now at eye level with him, he still remained sitting and now he was the one with the reassuring expression on his face.

"Hey, as far as I know dreams don't usually come true. I wouldn't worry if I were you okay?"

I nodded my head, even though I was still very much worried.

"Oh and don't forget we have training after your finished working. Jasmine will pick you up."

My lack of enthusiasm was obviously not lost to him, because he just laughed and said something that sounded like '_don't look so displeased, you get to spend the night with me.' _Before telling me he'd see me later.

I didn't even give him a parting shot for that little innuendo. My mind was somewhere else.

I just muttered a quick goodbye and headed towards my English class.

My conversations with both Paul and Alek only made matters worse. I'd told both of them that I had dreamt of myself practically dying. There was something I neglected to mention to both of them though. My first dream was of myself being pushed off of a tall building. My second dream had me feeling like I was underwater and gasping for air.

I'd have many more nightmares; however, those were the two that stuck out in my mind.

_Hey as far as I know dreams don't usually come true._

_What if they're not dreams, what if they're premonitions or something?_

I took a seat at my desk and bit my bottom lip, letting both of their words sink in.

The minor detail I forgot to mention was the fact that two of my dreams actually came true.

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><p><strong>There you go Ch. 2, what do you think? Too out there? (btw let me know if theres any grammar errors I only reread it once)<strong>

**QUESTION 1: Should her dreams really be another power or turn out to be nothing at all? It was weird writing that dream since Brian doesn't seem "evil" at all...**

**QUESTION 2: Would you like the M rating to apply to just language, or would you like some intense lemony scenes in future chapters?**

**If you want, follow me on Twitter, its easier to get your input this way.**

**Twitter: at xXBeautifullyME **

**I've discovered that reviews are like hearing Alek's accent... the more words, the better ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well here it is. It took me two whole days, but I think I did an alright job.**

**Don't forget to review :)**

**Twitter: at xXBeautifullyME**

**Hope you like it...**

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><p><span>Chapter 3<span>

_Trust yourself. _

_Trust yourself._

That seemed to be what everyone had been telling me lately.

I pressed my lips together in determination.

_Okay… you can do this. Just jump and make it to the other side._

I peered down over the edge of the concrete rooftop and looked at the space between the two brick buildings.

Big mistake.

My newly honed vision allowed my eyes to look past the darkness, and make out the details of what was below me. The concrete sidewalk. Asphalt road, and the single car that was parked.

There was a small pebble by my foot. I slid it slowly until it made its way over the edge. Although there was the sounds of the city cluttering my ears, I still managed to hear it make contact with the ground a few seconds later.

I began to get that tingling sensation in my finger tips and legs. It could easily be compared to what many people feel when their afraid of heights.

From my perspective it seemed like a _very _long fall down.

I had absolutely no desire to test out that theory.

I took a deep breath, in and out, before walking backwards a few feet.

I had seen Alek and Jasmine do this moments ago. They seemed to glide effortlessly over the gap between the buildings.

They both seemed to be under the impression that I could do this. Well, actually Jasmine was the supportive one. Alek on the other hand had yet to ease up on his sarcasm since Jasmine and I had met up with him that afternoon. I know he wanted me to get this, even if he did have a weird way of showing it, but I could do without his annoying jabs at my lack of progress.

Did I mention how much of an ass he could be?

_Well, its now or never._

I let out one last exhaling breath and took off running, preparing for the jump and hopefully landing on the other side.

The image of what I saw when I looked over the edge flashed in my mind. The sound of the pebble dropping, soon joining it in my mind. I didn't follow through on the leap and stopped at the very last second, almost losing my balance.

I let out a breath of relief when I finally regained my footing.

"I can't do this." I said this aloud, but it was meant more for myself than for them. I could hear the tone of discouragement in my own voice and I sighed.

"Chloe,"I lifted my head at the sound of my name.

Jasmine opened her mouth to say more, but I held up my hand to stop her from continuing."No, don't. I mean it I can't do this." I turned my back on them and started to walkway. I'd had enough for one night."Yes you can, not everyone-"

She was interrupted again, but this time it wasn't me who spoke.

"Looks like the prophecy was wrong about the Uniter's bravery and determination." Alek scoffed.

My fists clenched in anger and I froze mid-step.

"What did you just say?" I turned around as I asked this.

He had his signature smirk on his face.

"I'm just saying… that they may have slightly overestimated you." He said this as if it would make things better.

He was pushing me. He knew **exactly **what he was doing.

"Fucking arrogant jerk." I muttered under my breath, hoping he could hear me.

I took off running towards the edge of the building and used my legs to give me momentum for the jump.

I felt the wind rushing past my face as I slid through the air.

When I finally saw the opposite wall beneath me, I reached out my arms, clutching onto the brick and kicked both legs over.

I finally landed on the ground with a thud.

Only two thoughts came to mind once my adrenaline began to subside

_I can not believe I just did that. _and _What now, Alek?_

Alek had a shocked look on his face, mouth hanging open, but his eyes told another story. They seemed knowing. Like he hadn't expected anything less than what had just happened.

"How was that?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and now it was my turn to smirk.

"I've seen more amazing things." He sounded bored when he said this.

My mouth dropped open.

Jasmine quickly came to my defense.

"Don't listen to him, that was very good." She reassured me.

"For a first try I suppose." Alek seemed… jealous? Hmm, weird.

Jasmine called me over with her head.

When I reached where she was standing, she leaned into my ear.

My eyes still remain on Alek as she spoke.

"The first time Alek jumped, he almost fell three stories." She snickered, and I burst out laughing.

Alek had both hands on his hips and a glare that kept altering between Jasmine and I.

"Did you _seriously_ forget about the super hearing thing? I'm _right_ here." He asked incredulously.

I took in his stance and the slight hint of a whine his voice held.

"Are you going to pout too?" I asked, causing Jasmine to chuckle.

I pressed my lips tightly together and suppressed my laugh in a tight smile.

When I glanced up his glare only intensified.

I cleared my throat and put on my serious face.

"You really shouldn't ease drop Alek you might hear something you don't like."

I raised my eyebrows as I quoted him.

Jasmine was shaking her head at our interation, but finally spoke and walked over to Alek.

"She's quick. Looks like you've finally met your match." He opened his mouth but closed it quickly.

For the first time since I'd met him, Alek Petrov was at a loss for words. I couldn't help but feel a little smug for being the reason for that.

"That's enough for tonight." She was speaking to both of us.

She began walking toward the edge of the building and placed one hand on the brick, turning back to face us.

"You did really good Chloe. We'll do some more training on Friday." She gave me a smile before jumping over the ledge and landing on the fire escape.

I was about to follow her down when Alek grabbed my wrist.

_All good things must come to an end. Damn it._

I turned around to face him, fully expecting one of his sarcastic remarks, as only Alek can deliver them.

All he did was stare at me for a moment before finally speaking.

"Since you did ask for help yesterday, I'm going to pretend _that _never happened as long as you never bring up what Jasmine told you. Ever. Deal?" I rolled my eyes but still nodded.

I had absolutely no intention of keeping my end of our little agreement.

_Shit like that was too good to forget._

"Good, meet me by the Ferry Building tomorrow at 5:00." I gave him an incredulous look.

"You want me to meet you at the San Francisco Port? One of the loudest places in the city- And that's saying something." I shook my head. "No way."

"Do you want my help or not?" He said this as if I actually had a choice.

"Fine." I said indignantly .

I noticed a warmth in my wrist that began to intensify, so I looked down and realized his hand was still clasped around it.

His gaze followed mine and he let go quickly, running his hand through his hair soon after.

"Come on." He motioned his head in the direction Jasmine had just gone in and walked over to the fire escape.

I stood there for a moment before following him.

_What just happened?_

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><p>The Port of San Francisco and all surrounding area is one of the busiest places in the city. Don't get me wrong it was also one of the most beautiful. I mean it was right on the water front of the bay, blue skies serving as a backdrop to the surrounding city skylines. I'd stopped and admired the view many times before.<p>

The place was constantly flooding with both locals and tourists on a daily basis.

And _that _is exactly why I showed so much apprehension when Alek suggested we come here.

I decided that I'd wait for Alek at the Harry Bridge Plaza. I sat down on the rounded stone steps. The plaza was between the roadways separating the Ferry Building and the market place, so it gave me enough distance from the surrounding chaotic noise to not go _completely_ out of my mind.

The mixture of the sounds of people talking and nearby traffic was starting to irritate me.

I was about to pull out my ipod when my phone rang, signaling that I'd received a text message.

I pressed 'read now' without even checking who it was from.

**Behind you - Alek**

I glanced over my shoulder and at first saw no one, but soon found him in the middle of the plaza.

I bet he was smirking.

I rolled my eyes and got up, making my way over to where he stood.

"You know can't you just get someone's attention the normal way?" I asked him.

His eyebrows forrowed as if he were actually pondering it for a moment.

"I could…" his mouth curved up into a grin, "but messing with you is way too much fun to give up."

I hit him on the arm, but he seemed uneffected.

I punched what felt like solid muscle. I think I hurt myself more than him.

He glanced down to where I'd just hit him and gave me a questioning look.

"Was that meant to hurt?" I could tell he wanted to smile badly.

"Yes it was, now shut up and lets do this." I sounded like a pouting seven year old even to my own ears.

"Okay, close your eyes and tell me what you hear right now." I closed my eyes, breathing out as I did so, and listened.

I heard the high pitched sound of a train coming to a stop. Mixed with the downpour of water, probably from a nearby fountain. Those were just the two that stood out, I could still hear the murmur of the people in the market place and the noise of waves crashing against each other near the pier.

"Train screeching, water in a fountain, waves crashing, and people talking. Its all so loud." I told him honestly.

The drone of the market place was starting to give me a headache.

"Good, try zoning in on certain sounds now." He paused for a moment. "The clock tower, can you hear it?" I listened carefully until I finally heard the hand of the clock tick.

"I heard it!" I said excitedly and smiled.

He paused again. "There's a couple arguing under one of the arch pillars across the street." I listened again and finally zoned in on their conversation.

_Chris, I have something to tell you._

I didn't say anything but I'm sure my widening smile answered for me.

"Now make all the sounds disappear." I began to protest. "Listen to the sound of my heart beating. Only that, nothing else matters right now apart from you, and me." I steadied my breathing and listened.

I heard the sound of his heart thumping and soon the other sounds began to fade away as the steady pulsing beat became louder. After a while it was the only thing I could hear.

_Nothing else matters._

It was hard to describe, but there was something comforting about the sound of his heart beat. I felt like I could listen to it forever.

_Whoa… where did that come from?_

"Did it work?" The echoing sound of his voice brought me out of my reverie.

My eyes shot open. He was a lot closer than I remembered, our chests were barley and inch a part.

"U-Umm, yeah it did," I shifted my eyes to the clock tower. I didn't want to look him in the eyes right away, but when I finally did I gave him a small smile. "Thanks."

He looked pleased. I don't think "proud" is the right word though. He wasn't smirking or grinning, but instead had a huge smile on his face.

_That was… 'different'. _

* * *

><p><em>Far away<em>

_This ship is taking me far away_

_Far away from the memories_

_Of the people who care if I live or die_

_Starlight_

_I will be chasing the starlight_

_Until the end of my life_

_I don't know if it's worth it anymore_

I was lying on my bed, listening to my ipod. I thought the music might help get my mind off of things. So far it was working.

I closed my eyes and started to mouth the words along with the song.

_My life_

_You electrify my life_

_Let's conspire to ignite_

_All the souls that would die just to feel alive_

_But I'll never let you go_

_If you promised not to fade away_

_Never fade away_

When I opened my eyes I gasped and nearly screamed.

_What the fuck? Again?_

Right there beside me was Alek lying on his side, with his head resting on his hand, on **my** bed.

_How long has he been here?_

Did I mention he was on **my bed**.

I immediately took out my ear buds and put my ipod to the side.

I sat up facing him.

He had an amused expression on his face.

I on the other hand was not amused at all. I crossed my arms over my chest.

"What's with the constant sneaking into my room at night? You know some people would classify that as a tad bit stalker-ish. This is exactly why-" I sighed and went on, "You do realize my mom thinks we're having sex right." His mouth began to curve upward into a grin.

I huffed and rolled my eyes.

_Of course he would pick up on **that** out of everything I had just said. Face. Fucking. Palm._

"You know, if she already thinks we're doing it might as well…" I gave him a shocked look, which quickly turned into a glare.

"Finish that statement and I will _personally_ rip out **your **tongue." I said while pointing at him.

He placed his hand on his chest feigning hurt.

"But my tongue could be used for _so _many more fun things." I scrunched up my face in disgust.

_He did _**not **_just say that._

He rolled onto his back and placed both hands behind his head.

"And here I thought we had something special." He tsked, but soon couldn't keep the laughter from coming out. Thankfully my mother was still working. Explaining Alek's presence in my room a second time would not be fun.

I refused to laugh, but I couldn't help but smile.

"Alright Casanova, why don't you tell me why you're really here?" The smile was still evident in my voice.

He sat up and looked me directly in the eyes.

"I needed to tell you something." I repositioned myself so that I was sitting with my legs crossed, giving him my full attention.

"I'm listening." I told him.

* * *

><p><strong>Here's the song to save you some time: Starlight by Muse.<strong>

**I knew I had to add in the "heartbeat scene", but that was the hardest part. I wanted to deliver it with originality (Hope I accomplished that)**

**QUESTION 1: How am I doing with the sexual tension? I've read all of your reviews and there WILL be lemons, but not right away. I'm pretty sure Chloe's a virgin so... just keep your mind at ease with the fact that Brian will NOT be getting ANY of that :)**

**QUESTION 2: Just for fun tell my why you're, I'm assuming, Team Alek. (This is more serious than Edward vs Jacob. Please don't take offence Twihards, you guys are scarier than Beliebers when you're angry :P)**

**QUESTION 3: Should I write a book, I have al these crazy ideas? Haha, you don't have to answer this one.**

**Leave reviews because you and your ideas are all AMAZING :)**

**Till next time...**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am SO sorry that I left you with a cliffhanger, but hopefully this makes up for it :)**

**Read and review... they make me smile.**

**Twitter: at xXBeautifullyME**

* * *

><p>"I'm listening." I told him.<p>

When ever someone told me they had news for me now a days, it usually turned out to be something really bad.

"In a way it's actually good news for you," he started.

"So now I don't have to worry about more insane freaks trying to kill me- Repeatedly?" I asked in a hopefully voice.

He sucked in a breath, "Yeah… not **that **good Chloe." My smile dropped.

"I just thought you'd like to know that Valentina found the person who was trying to kill you… well the person who was trying _this time _at least."

"Is this supposed to be making me feel better, because to be honest with you… its doing the exact opposite." I sighed and flopped back onto my bed.

He looked down at me. "Chloe, there are a lot of members in the Order and people working for them. Killing one of them isn't going to make them disappear." Noticing my obvious less than happy expression, he went on.

"Anyway, like I was saying, Valentina had a little _talk _with the man who was behind your recent attacks. Apparently he has a son." I raised my eyebrow in question.

"So?" I had no clue where he was going with this.

"So, there's no easier way to get someone to do something than by threatening the people they care about. She made it very clear that you are under no circumstances to be touched." He said the last part with gritted teeth.

Does he have a personality disorder or something? One minute he's being his usual arrogant self and the next he get all protective like this.

_Alek confused the hell out of me. _

His mouth then rose slightly into a grin. "Think of it as fighting fire with fire."

I looked up at him, "So does this buy us some time or what?"

"For the time being," he looked at me seriously "but they'll send more, and you need to be ready."

I sat up on my elbows. "So what does this mean for me?"

He smirked and I gave him an apprehensive look.

"More training with yours truly." He chuckled when he took note of my expression.

I fell back again with a loud groan, closing my eyes and dragging my hand down my face.

"Your moaning already and we haven't even done anything. Imagine wha-" I opened my eyes to give him a hard glare.

"Alek." I warned.

He put up both hands in surrender, but I could tell he was anything but sorry from that signature smirk on his face.

Then I heard the most dreadful thing that I could possibly hear in that moment. My name.

"Chloe!" I heard my mom call from downstairs.

I immediately sat up right.

"Fuck, not again." I whisper yelled, and nudged him so that he would get the hint and get the hell out. "You need to leave. Now."

He just laughed quietly.

_Well at least he's trying to be quiet._

He got up swiftly, but not before he leaned down and brushed his lips over my cheek softly.

"Thanks for tonight, you were _amazing._" He whispered in my ear and I shivered involuntarily, letting a small gasp escape my lips.

He pulled away grinning.

I heard footsteps on the staircase, and my eyes darted to the door. Now would be a good time to panic. When I looked back to where he had just been, he was gone. I noticed the window was open and the curtains blowing lightly from the outside breeze.

I let out a sigh of relief just as my mom was opening the door.

"Hey Chloe," she started but paused when she looked at me.

"Are you alright? You seem flushed." She studied my face as she said this.

"Do I?" I decided to go down the "play dumb" route.

Her eyes moved from my face to something behind me and she crossed her arms.

"Who's is that?" she asked calmly, but I could tell she was upset.

I followed her line of sight and my eyes widened when I noticed a black leather jacket lying on the ground. It was to big to be mine and obviously belonged to a guy.

_Damn it Alek. I bet he did it on purpose. _

"Umm," I bit my lip in thought.

I couldn't tell her it was Paul's, since he didn't typically wear leather jackets. I loved Paul to death but why just this once could he not be the poster child for "comic book" nerds.

"Alek or Brian? I'm going to guess Alek though. Am I right?" She gave me a pointed look.

I sighed and nodded.

She came and sat beside me on the bed.

"Chloe I get that your not a kid anymore, but come on. Having a boy in your room when I'm not home and then looking me straight in the eyes claiming nothings going on." She made it sound so ridiculous, even though it was the truth.

"Mom, listen-" I tried to explain, but she held up a hand to stop me.

"No, you don't have to." I gave her a pleading look.

"I'm not angry honey. I just want you to stop with all this _mysteriousness_." She gestured with her hands. "It seems like since you've turned sixteen you live in this completely different world."

_You don't know the half of it._

I understood where she was coming from. The past month has been absolutely crazy and I could say with complete honesty that I was not the same Chloe. My mother apparently saw my weird behavior as typical teen daughter rebellion. Good cover story. It explained my coming home late at night after training… or fighting against an assassin. Bad cover story, because my mother now thought that her sixteen year old daughter was having sex and lying about it.

_I am going to kill Alek tomorrow._

"Mom, I understand what your saying. I'll admit that I've been acting a bit unlike myself lately." I started.

"A bit?" She muttered.

"Mom." I warned.

She gave a quick apology and I continued.

"Tonight Alek was just going through some tough things. He just needed someone to talk to and that's all we did. I swear." I looked her right in the eyes and they told me that she believed me.

_Hey, in my defense, the last part was entirely true._

I also got an "empathy hit", as Paul called it, a wave of understanding passed through me.

She let out a breath of relief and gave me a small smile.

"Alright, well that's enough of this mother daughter heart to heart." She pulled me in and gave me a hug. "Good night." She said standing up.

She walked over to the door, but paused. "Be safe." I had a feeling she wasn't talking about in general.

_Awkward._

"Good night mom." I said with a grimace on my face.

She made her way out the door and closed it softly.

Fifteen minutes later I had just finished getting ready for bed when my phone chimed.

It said I had a text from Brian, so I opened it.

**I know its late, but can we meet for coffee tomorrow? - Brian.**

**Yeah sure how about before school? 7:30? - Chloe**

**Sounds great. I have some news for you. See you then. Night Chloe. - Brian**

**Night :)**** - Chloe **

Brian had news too? It must be important if he texted me this late just to ask to meet up for coffee. I hope it wasn't anything bad.

I guess I'll find out tomorrow, and then I am going to have a little chat with a certain blonde Mai.

* * *

><p>I draped Alek's jacket over my arm and started my walk towards the coffee shop.<p>

This morning I had made sure I was out of the house before my mother made it down to the kitchen. The last thing I needed today was one of her _talks_, I needed coffee before I could endure another one of those.

When I finally made it there, I noticed that Brian was already sitting down outside, working on something on his laptop.

"Hey." I said as I sat across from him.

He looked up from whatever he was so focused on and smiled.

"Hey, I'm glad you came."

He offered to go order our coffees and I told him that I'd have whatever he was having.

I few seconds after he left I glanced down nonchalantly and a manila folder caught my eye.

It had some kind of company name on it.

**Rezza Capital.**

Must be his fathers company. I remember him mentioning it once before.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Brian returned with our coffees a few minutes later. I took mine and thanked him.

"So what did you want to tell me?" I asked taking a sip.

"Well remember how I told you that my father and I don't get along." I nodded.

"Well he wants to send me back to school. He thinks I'm just _wasting my time_ here, and _display absolutely no initiative_." I could tell he was directly quoting his father from the condescending tone of his voice.

_Wait, he was leaving? _

Before I could interject he stopped me.

"Thankfully he's not making me go… yet." I gave him a confused look.

"I made a deal that I would get into the family business. I asked him to give me three months to show him _initiative_, if not… I'm on the next plane back to school." He finished looking down with a sigh.

"Wow, when you said your dad was tough on you, you weren't kidding." I told him.

He leaned back in his chair and took a drink from his coffee, but didn't answer.

"Well at least your not leaving." I said, hoping it would help lighten the mood.

His eyes turned apologetic suddenly.

"See that's the thing. My father's going on a business trip to Italy and I have to go." Most people would be thrilled at the opportunity to visit Italy,myself included, but he just sounded resentful.

"How long will you be gone?" I asked.

"Two weeks. I leave in four days." He responded.

We spent the next few minutes making plans to keep in touch while he was there. When I glanced down at my phone it read: 7:50 AM.

_Fuck, I was going to be late._

I stood up and told him that I had to get going, but that I would talk to him later.

When I rounded the corner and was out of his sight, I slipped Alek's jacket on. What it was cold? This light sweater I had on just wasn't cutting it. It was too big on me and I didn't zip it up, but immediately felt warmer.

I started running towards school and this was one of the times I was thankful for my newly acquired speed.

I made it to campus just as the first warning bell sounded.

I noticed Alek leaning against a locker, talking to his friends down the hall and caught his eye. He looked me up and down. When his gaze landed on the jacket I was wearing, he smirked.

_I was definitely going to hear about this later._

I scowled at him, hoping that I was giving off the message that we would talk about this later and turned to start walking to first period.

I definitely had a few _choice _words for Alek.

* * *

><p><strong>There you have it. What do you think?<strong>

**I know exactly where I'm taking this now and the conversation with Brian had to happen. Sorry Brian haters/majority of my readers. At least he's leaving for a while and no he is not going to die in a plane crash, I considered it though...**

**QUESTION 1: How pissed were you when you realized Alek was not in episode 5?**

**QUESTION 2: *Spoiler* Jasmine won't be present for a majority of their training sessions. What could happen?**

**Reviews are like one on one training sessions with Alek... pretty damn satisfying ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm SO sorry that it took me so long to update, but this is what happens when you procrastinate on summer assignments... AP classes suck :(**

**I will admit I wrote this chapter pretty quickly, but hopefully if I'm as good of a writer as I hope I am, you wont be able to tell. *Fingers Crossed***

**There is absolutely NO Brian in this chapter, enjoy my fellow Chalek fans.**

**Don't forget to REVIEW :)**

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><p>I found myself unable to focus throughout the entire school day. Alek wasn't helping matters either. I tried to find him all day, but he was nowhere to be found.<p>

Knowing Alek, he was probably making himself scarce just so that I'd have to keep wearing his jacket. I considered taking it off, and placing it in my locker, but decided against it. Don't ask me why, I can't even answer that question myself.

_You like wearing it._

And my inner voice was not helping at all.

Which brings me to my current predicament. Amy.

I knew this was coming. It was pretty much unavoidable. Amy was the kind of person that didn't like feeling out of the loop. She had to know everything. I mean don't get me wrong your secrets were safe with her until death, but she could be a persistent bitch until she got what she wanted.

And right at this moment, she was fast approaching my locker as I was putting my books away.

_Speak of the devil and she shall appear…_

I acted as though I didn't see her. I kept silently praying that I would be saved by the bell and could skip this conversation or at least delay it. I knew exactly what she wanted to talk about.

_Please ring! Please ring!_

Nothing.

I shut my eyes tightly, wincing at my lack of luck.

The universe can be so cruel sometimes. Okay I know that I was being a bit overdramatic, but have you met Amy?

I heard eager footsteps come to a stop next to my locker. I didn't need to glance past my locker door to know who it was.

"Chloe King, we need to talk." The tone of her voice let me know that she wasn't angry, just anxious to get details.

I sighed and closed my locker, a little more forcefully than necessary.

When I finally turned to face her, she had this _I know something's up, and you'd better tell me _look on her face. She even went as far as to complete the look with the raised eyebrow and arms folded over her chest.

Remember all those times I didn't want to deal with Alek? Well I take that back, I'd much rather have to face that asshole than this.

"Talk about what?" I decided to play dumb again, even though it has yet to work for me.

"You know what." She eyed my outfit knowingly.

"Who's jacket is that huh?" Her hand immediately flew to her mouth, "Oh. My. God. Is that Brian's?" I was about to speak, but she just kept… going.

"Aww that is so sweet, he gave you his jacket." Her eyes then examined the jacket more closely and her brows furrowed in confusion. "Wait a second… no offence, but Brian doesn't exactly seem like the type of guy that would wear that." She looked up at me expectantly, waiting for my response.

There's really no point in lying. Besides there is nothing going on between Alek and I.

"Your right, he's not." I told her honestly. "It's Alek's."

Her eyes widened in shock, but she quickly composed herself. For someone like Amy this was no easy task.

"I thought he was most definitely off the list?" She asked, her smile widening with every word.

I scoffed. "Please, me and Alek? That is _so _not happening." I made sure to put special emphasis on the "so."

" And to answer your question, he is off the list. Alek and I can't go more than five minutes without arguing." He'd hit me with a snarky comment and I'd give just as good as I got. That was our dynamic, it worked.

Nothing more, nothing less.

"I don't know, some of the best love stories start out with hate." She started off in a singsong voice and looked off dreamily.

I pinched her and brought her back to the real world.

"Oww!" She yelped.

"And you need to stop reading those teen romance novels." I laughed.

She gave me a small glare, but wouldn't give up.

"I'm serious Chloe. There's a fine line between love and hate. Cliché and over used? Yes, but true nonetheless." She finished with a satisfied smile.

Her eyes then traveled somewhere behind me and her smile slowly faded and she bit her lip. Her eyes seemed to glaze over and darken. The look on her face was one of something I couldn't quite place.

The aura around her began to turn into a fiery red.

I suddenly felt a sense of want and lust rush through me.

"I couldn't agree more." A smooth voice said from behind me.

I knew that voice. It held a hint of unmistakable cockiness.

_Oh now he decides to show up. _

I rolled my eyes and put on a sickly sweet smile, turning around to face him.

I took a moment to take in his appearance, but something wasn't right. Instead of having the urge to insult him like I normally do, I found myself wanting him. Badly.

I looked at Amy over my shoulder and luckily she took the hint that it was time to go. The farther away she got, the less lustful I felt.

That was a very close call. I can't believe I almost jumped Alek, in the school hallway no less.

_That would have been bad…_

Looks like the whole empathy gift needs some work too. If I didn't learn how to control it soon, I might find myself doing something that I may regret.

Especially if Alek's around. Something tells me that he wouldn't exactly rush to stop me.

I was snapped out of my thoughts by Alek waving his hand in my face and saying my name repeatedly.

Once I was out of my haze I met his eyes, which at the moment were searching mine.

"Hey, where did you go there for a second?" He asked with a crooked smile.

I was about to explain to him what had just happened when I suddenly remembered why I was pissed at him.

"Well talk about that later." I glared at him.

"Right now I want to know why you _forgot _this in my room last night?" I motioned to what I was currently wearing.

"Opps… would you believe me if I said it were an accident?" I knew he was lying, but it was the smirk on his face that only served to confirm it.

"Not for a second." The certainty in my voice only caused him to chuckle.

His eyes then traveled back to my body and he took a step closer.

"Fair enough, but can I just say seeing you in my jacket..." He trailed off suggestively and I waited for him to finish.

I didn't even have time to react when he pulled me in by said jacket, flush against his body.

"So much better than I imagined." He whispered.

All I could do was stare up at him. It was really hard to form any coherent thoughts when he was this close.

He was good, I'll give him that. The guy almost had me forgetting why I was angry with him in the first place. Almost.

I pushed him away gently when I finally regained the use of my senses.

"So you did plan this?" He gave me a smile and I found it impossible to keep a straight face.

That humorous spark in his eyes made me want to smile too, and I did.

"Guilty." This made me laugh and shake my head.

"You don't seem sorry at all." I mused.

"I'm not." He said softly, looking at me intently.

To an outsider we must have looked like idiots, just standing there staring into each others eyes. Neither one of us saying a word. I don't really know what we were waiting for.

I parted my lips slightly and his gaze moved toward them.

The bell that I had been begging the universe to let ring a few minutes ago finally did. Effectively snapping us out of whatever the hell that was.

I began to take off the jacket, when he suddenly stopped me.

"Keep it on, you can give it back to me after school." And with that, he was gone.

I didn't even attempt to catch up with him. I could waste my time arguing with him to take the jacket, which he wouldn't, and then we'd both be late for fifth period.

I ultimately decided to just let it go. I've been wearing it all day, besides there were only two more class periods left. What could it hurt?

I swung my bag over one of my shoulders and headed to class.

* * *

><p>When the final bell of the day rang I found Alek leaning against the wall as soon as I stepped out of the classroom.<p>

"How did you get here so fast? Isn't your class on the other side of campus?" I questioned.

Alek had a tendency of getting angry when I even mentioned my powers at school, so I doubt he would use his.

"I ditched sixth." He shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal.

I simply nodded and started walking down the hall.

"So do we really have to train again today?" I looked at him from the corner of my eye as I asked this

"Of course not." This caused me to stop walking.

"Are you serious?" My tone was disbelieving. This was too good to be true. Right?

"Yeah, and while we're at it why don't we just invite all of the members of the Order to your house?" He said sarcastically. "Because if your not prepared, your as good as dead."

His tone was even and there was no mistaking his seriousness.

I looked down at my shoes. "Okay." I said softly.

"Lets go." He placed his hand on my lower back and led me toward the entrance doors.

* * *

><p>Alek even went as far as to walk me home. I guess he was in one of his protective moods today.<p>

Our walk to my house gave us both the opportunity to cool off. The tension between us seemed to have all but disappeared.

I turned around to face him when we reached my front steps.

"So what's the plan for later?" I knew that getting out of training was out of the question.

On the way home he had mentioned that Jasmine would not be joining us tonight, apparently she had a date with some Mai she had recently met.

I thought back to the sad story she told me of the boy in her apartment building. I know what it's like to want someone you can never have, but to have to see him almost everyday, knowing he's only a few floors away… that must be awful.

She deserved this. She deserved a bit of happiness.

"Don't worry about the details just be ready by eight." He wanted me to trust him, and for some reason I did.

"I'm already trusting you'll behave yourself since Jasmine isn't coming. Can't you even tell me where we're going?" I argued.

He shook his head.

"First of all you don't need to know where we're going, just that I'll be here to pick you up at eight. Secondly I never said I'd behave." He smirked and I felt my face getting a little warm.

I couldn't believe he made me blush. It was barely noticeable, but still stunned me nonetheless.

_Alek has said far more vulgar things and this makes you blush?_

I bit the inside of my cheek.

He told me he would see my tonight and started walking away.

"Wait!" I called after him.

He paused and looked over his shoulder.

"What do I tell my mom?" My mother wasn't working tonight, and would undoubtedly question me about where I was going.

"Tell her the truth. Your going out with me." He smiled and I folded my arms over my chest.

"Your not exactly her favorite person. Thanks to _you _she thinks your sleeping with her daughter on a regular basis." I didn't intend for my voice to sound so cold, but I remembered her conversation with me and it _was _his fault.

"Well come up with something, because I'll be back in a couple of hours." That was all he left me with before he continued down the sidewalk.

_Thanks for nothing._

When I got inside I dropped my bag on the kitchen table and pulled out my history homework. I doubted I'd have any time to do it later tonight.

My mother was already suspicious of my behavior, if my grades started dropping she would probably have the drug talk with me.

Another conversation I could go without.

Time passed by quickly, and I managed to finish most of my work. I was putting the finishing touches on my English essay, when I heard the front door closing, soon followed by the clicking of heels on the hardwood.

I closed my notebook, deciding to finish my essay tomorrow. It wasn't due until Monday anyway.

"Hey mom." I said as she entered the kitchen.

She took note of my work sprawled out on the table and smiled.

"Now this is the Chloe I remember." She kissed my hair and squeeze my shoulder.

I smiled back and glanced at the time on the microwave.

6:55 PM

_Shit I'd better start getting ready… and coming up with an excuse._

I put all of my things away and made my way up to my room.

While I was getting ready I thought about the two tasks I faced tonight.

I decided that I wouldn't lie about being with Alek. He said he was coming to pick me up so she would probably see him.

How bad would that have been? If I told my mom I was going out with friends and Alek showed up at the door.

I would have gotten _the look_.

The second thing on my mind was the fact that I would be alone with Alek.

Hopefully we won't kill each other.

_Or something else…_

It was the dot dot dot that scared me.

* * *

><p><strong>Well there you go. I was going to add in their training session alone, but I need your help with one minor detail. I thought about the fact that Alek doesn't have a car, and that simply will not do. A guy as gorgeous at that needs a nice set of wheels. Plus it could have other uses in the future ;)<strong>

**QUESTION 1: What kind of car does Alek seem like he would drive? Doesn't matter if it's expensive, the Mai seem like they're pretty well off. (FYI someone pointed out that he doesn't have a car and if he did he would drive it to school. I know that, he's going to BUY a car.)**

**QUESTION 2: How many of you noticed what she has yet to return to its rightful owner?**

**Hope you liked it.**

**Twitter: at xXBeautifullyME**

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	6. Chapter 6

**Long time no update, but in my defense, some authors go months without updating. I'm just saying...**

**Hope you like this. (I think you will *Wink* *Wink*)**

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**BTW I put some pics up on my blog to help you visualize things. The links in my profile.**

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><p><strong>Special thank you to SneakyKid for telling me about what happens in the books. What the hell I dedicate this chapter to you :)<strong>

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><p>My plan was to meet Alek outside. Of course nothing ever goes as planned for me anymore.<p>

I was in my bedroom finishing up tying the laces on my sneakers, when I heard the doorbell ring.

My eyes widened and I froze.

_He wouldn't… would he? _

I concentrated on evening out my breathing, like Alek had taught me, and picked up on the conversation at my front door.

"Hello Ms. King." He spoke in a charming voice. I could tell he was trying to win my mother over.

"Hi… Alek is it?" She said this slowly, and she seemed just as surprised as I was.

I decided it was time to end this and quickly grabbed my jacket off of the bed and all but ran down the stairs. When I got to the bottom of the steps I found my mother laughing at something Alek had said.

It felt as if I were in the Twilight Zone for a second. I wouldn't have believed it if I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes. Right in front of me was my mother laughing and smiling with the same boy she was warning me about yesterday night.

Like I said he was good.

I cleared my throat to announce my presence when I reached the foyer.

My mother turned to face me as her laughter died down.

"Hey Chloe, you didn't tell me you were going out with Alek tonight?" I couldn't tell if she was upset or surprised.

I pressed my lips together and stared at Alek.

"Must have slipped my mind." I said with a tight smile, my eyes never leaving his.

She hummed.

"Can I talk to you for a minute before you leave?"

She nodded toward the kitchen and told Alek it would only take a second.

I followed after her tentatively. I knew going into the kitchen meant virtually the same thing as staying in the foyer. It wouldn't take much work on Alek's part to listen in. Even though he had personally warned me against eavesdropping, I wouldn't put it past him.

When we were in the kitchen my mother turned to face me with her arms crossed.

"So… nothings going on huh?"

"Mom does it look like either one of us is dressed for a date?" I motioned toward my casual attire.

"We're just hanging out." I argued.

"Alright I believe you. I'm glad I got to officially meet him, outside of your bedroom that is." She said with a raised brow.

I shook my head and grimaced.

"Can we please pretended that never happened, or at least never bring it up again." I begged.

"But it did. Twice." She added.

I decided to make my exit before she started to give me another sex talk, when the assumed sexual partner was in the next room.

I clapped my hands together.

"Well… as much as I would love to continue this little recap of awkward moments, I should really get going." She sighed, but luckily didn't press on the matter.

"Curfew is still twelve thirty, try not to let _that _slip your mind." With that and a pointed look, she made her way back toward the foyer. Once again I followed her lead.

"It was nice to meet you, again, under different circumstances" She sent a side glance my way.

"Always a pleasure Ms. King." Alek smiled.

She shook her head "Please call me Meredith."

"I'll be sure to take good care of Chloe tonight. Meredith." He added.

I walked toward the door and opened it, allowing Alek to step out, before starting to follow him.

My mother caught my wrist and leaned into my ear.

"He is quite the charmer. I'll give you that." She whispered with a chuckle.

I couldn't believe he used his smooth talking to win over my mother. More so, that it actually worked. I thought single mothers weren't supposed to be susceptible to that crap. Shouldn't she be warning me to stay away from him? Telling me that he was no good for me? Isn't that what a mothers job was?

The more I thought about that, the more I realized it wasn't a mothers job. It was a fathers job.

"Good night Mom." I gave her a quick hug and turned to follow Alek out side.

I shut the door and closed my eyes, leaning against it with a sigh of relief.

_Glad that was over._

When I opened my eyes I was nowhere near prepared for the sight before me.

Alek was already at the bottom of the steps leaning casually against a car. From the looks of it a very expensive sports car. It was sleek and black. I didn't know much about cars, but this one definitely looked like the kind of car a famous athlete might drive.

I opened my mouth, but was left dumbfounded.

I made my way down the steps, still semi-surprised.

"I thought you didn't have a car?" I asked.

"I don't." He shrugged.

My eyes narrowed in confusion. For a moment I considered that he might have borrowed it from Valentina. I mean they lived in a luxurious penthouse. I bet she had at least a dozen different cars, lending one, to her at least, was probably the same thing as trading outfits.

_Yeah… that explains it._

"Well then who's is it?" He placed his fingers on his chin in thought, tapping lightly.

"You know that's a good question." I was even more confused than before.

"What's that supposed to mean? You don't know who's car you're driving?" He had to be joking. "How did you get it?"

"I hotwired it." He said this as if he were talking about the weather. "Aston Martin was too good to pass up."

My eyes widened in shock.

"You stole a car!" I cried, but then realizing we were still outside my house leaned closer to him. "You stole a car?" I repeated in a harsh whisper.

He chuckled at my reaction and I glared.

"I like to think of it more as… borrowing." He smirked.

I honestly believed that Alek could not throw anymore surprises my way, but then he does this. I briefly wondered if he did this often.

"Borrowing? Are you kidding me?" I asked in disbelief. "That sounds like something a criminal would say."

"You know most girls find the whole bad boy thing very sexy." He grinned.

If he thought I was like most girls he was in for a rude awakening, and I told him just that.

"Yeah, well I'm not most girls." Even if I wasn't the Uniter, I had never really thought of myself as being like all of the other girls at school.

The fact that I found him attractive, had nothing to do with his bad boy persona.

_But it doesn't hurt… _

That little inner voice was really starting to irritate me. Again.

"Trust me I know." He muttered before walking over to the passenger side door and pulling it open.

He stood there looking at me with an expectant look.

"I'm not getting into a stolen car with you." I scoffed.

He rolled his eyes. "Get in."

His tone was final, but there was no way I was getting in that car. Before I even had time to register what was happening, I felt myself being thrown over his shoulder. I tried to protest by kicking out of his grasp but he was stronger, and holding me in place by the back of my thighs.

I could feel his biceps through the fabric of my jeans. He was holding onto me tightly.

I felt us moving and soon I was plopped down into a leather seat. Before I could even say a word he slammed the door in my face and made his way to the other side.

He joined me inside the car a second later. I mustered the best glare I could come up with and aimed it in his direction. The overused saying of _if looks could kill _suddenly came to mind.

It didn't seem to effect him at all.

"Just enjoy the ride, kitten." He said with another one of his grins.

Soon the car rumbled to life and he took off.

I couldn't believe I was riding in a stolen car, with a car thief.

_Does that make me an accessory or an accomplice? This is so fucked up._

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><p>"Are you actually trying? Because it's hard to tell." I said sarcastically.<p>

Alek had decided to take me to Golden Gate Park. At this time of night, the park was practically deserted. But he still insisted on training by the lake, near the old stone bridge.

I believe his exact words were that he _didn't want to deal with pain in the ass humans_.

We had already practiced using wooden staffs. I even knocked him down three times. Something I was very proud of. He was a cocky bastard on a regular basis, someone had to show him up every once in a while.

Tonight I was more than happy to be that person.

I offered my hand and he grasped it, using it to pull himself off the ground. The ground and him had become very well acquainted tonight.

"You're showing quick progress. I'm impressed." He said.

"I would tell you that you're a great teacher, but knowing you… you would turn it into a sexual innuendo." I joked.

I knew how Alek was. He flirted without even meaning to. I guess it was a habit of his.

"You know me all to well." He smirked.

"So have you gotten rid of that human yet?" He brought up the subject out of nowhere.

"I assume you're referring to Brian."

"Yeah. _Brian_." He seemed to have a hint of venom in his tone when he said the name.

Alek had made it clear that he disliked Brian from the start. I initially assumed it was just a dislike of humans in general, but he had human friends, so that didn't make sense. This seemed like something else. Jealousy maybe?

"No I did not get rid of him yet, but he is going away for two weeks." As I told him this information, his lips began to curve upward into a smile. "I'm probably going to end things with him when he gets back." I said sadly.

"Really?" There seemed to be a small amount of hope in his tone.

"Yeah, he's almost kissed me twice. The fact that Xavier died wont last as an excuse forever." I sighed. "And I'm afraid one of these days I might slip up and let him."

"It's for the best. To end things that is." He clarified.

He seemed quick to agree. He didn't even take a moment to consider before he spoke. Something told me it had nothing to do with Brian's wellbeing. Remember what I said about jealousy?

I knew how to rile Alek up, so I decided to play with him a little. He's done it countless times to me. It's only fair.

An evil smirk made its way onto my face.

"You think so do you?" I asked.

"I honestly don't see what you see in him. There's not even a chance in hell of you being together. Waste of time if you ask me." Bingo. There was definitely jealousy in his words.

_No point in beating around the bush._

"Are you jealous Alek." I asked innocently.

He immediately whipped his head in my direction.

"What? Jealous? Of course not don't be ridiculous." He scoffed. "Now lets work on blocking."

He was changing the subject again. I got into my ready stance, but I was nowhere near finished with him. I could multitask.

He came at me with an over head kick, which I easily blocked.

"You _are_ jealous of Brian." I teased.

"Why the fuck would I be jealous of him? He's just a typical human. Mai remember?" He motioned to himself.

He did a round house kick and motioned for me to follow.

"You want something you can never have." His jaw tensed and I was almost afraid I had pushed him too far, but he simply shook his head and laughed it off.

"And what would that be?"

"Me." I told him bluntly, before following through on my kick.

I could have sworn I heard a growl. Can Mai even growl? Alek was in front of me as soon as I landed both of my feet on the ground.

A gasp escaped my lips at his sudden nearness.

He backed us up until I was pushed up against the hard bark of a nearby tree. He kept one hand above my head and the other on my waist.

"Chloe, if I wanted you, I could have you." He breathed inches away from my face.

His gaze fell to my lips and then returned to my eyes with a newfound intensity.

"Fuck it." He muttered before crashing his lips to my own.

At first I was shocked and didn't really respond, but then my hands found their way into his hair and I pulled him closer. Moving my lips just as heatedly against his own. I honestly don't know what came over me it was animalistic almost, instinctual even.

It felt so wrong and right all at the same time. I thought about Brian for a second. A second, but as soon as I felt Alek's tongue run along my bottom lip, asking for entrance, I was too far gone to even care. I had never kissed a guy in that way before, but I let him in eagerly. I let him take control.

Alek was always telling me I had to learn, and right at this moment I didn't mind him teaching me. The boy was an excellent teacher.

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><p><strong>OMG they kissed. Was it up to your standards? I didn't want it to be too tame, but I also didn't want them to be going at it on the floor. (There will be plenty of time for that later.)<strong>

**QUESTION 1: Should I fast forward to the next day or continue where I left off?**

**QUESTION 2: Did you all scream at your TV when you saw the kiss? I almost believed it wasn't going to happen. They really left us hanging until the last second.**

**If you're a Twilight fan check this out: .net/s/7208871/1/In_The_bShadow_b_Of_The_bTruth_b **

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	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is short compared to the others but I felt like this deserved its own part.**

**IMPORTANT NOTE 8/18/11: School started yesterday, and I seriously underestimated the level of difficulty I would be facing... on the first day I already had trig. homework, which took me about 3 hours. When I finally finished, it was midnight. I'm a writer... not a math person. Why did I choose to take honors AND AP again? For a smart person, I'm an idiot sometimes lol. This weekend I will seriously try to get a chapter written and uploaded. It might have a bunch of grammar errors, and be shorter, but I want to give you all something. I promise I will try. Thank you SO much for all the reviews and kind words about my writing. It means a lot :)**

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><p><strong>LexiSceneQueen this chapter is for you! Your review actually did inspire me to write. I'm not joking it seriously did... until 3 AM actually. Haha please don't die though. I don't think I could live with someone's death on my conscience :P Hope you enjoy this chapter as much as your review made me smile... and laugh :)<strong>

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><p>You know those storybook first kisses? The ones that are described as being heart stopping and earth shattering. The part in the movie where one kiss makes two people finally realize they are absolutely perfect for each other.<p>

This was nothing like that. As far as I'm concerned, those fantasy romances can suck it.

It wasn't romantic and slow. It was hungry and filled with want. Need. At first when Alek had kissed me, I thought he was just trying to prove a point. I was expecting him to pull away after a few seconds, but he never did.

So here I was lost in the feeling of his lips against mine. Making out against a tree in the middle of a park.

Alek brought the hand by my head down to my waist and brought me closer to him. I gasped at the sudden movement and he took this as his opportunity to deepen the kiss.

_If that was even possible. _

Apparently it was because he tilted his head slightly and moved his tongue against my own, applying more pressure than before.

We both broke apart out of breath and just stood there staring into each others eyes. I didn't really know what to say, but this was starting to approach awkward territory, so I opened my mouth to speak.

Alek evidently was having none of that. Rather than crashing his lips to mine again, he brought his hand up toward my neck and brushed the hair aside, fully exposing it to him.

My eyes closed automatically as soon as I felt his lips on my neck. This was turning out to be a night full of firsts. I was beginning to think I just might lose my virginity right up against this tree.

He began sucking gently. I suddenly got a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach. This new feeling was definitely having an effect on me. The feeling was foreign, but very much welcome.

His kisses started to move upward until he was finally at my jaw line. He shocked the hell out of me by biting me lightly.

_Okay, now I see what the whole vampire craze is about. _

My hands which were still in his hair tugged harder on their own accord. A throaty sound made its way from my lips, causing him to chuckle against my skin. The vibration only further intensified the feeling.

_Oh my god. I did not just moan. _

He brought his lips back to mine and kissed me chastely before pulling away. I dropped my hands from his hair, but he kept his on my waist.

After taking a moment to catch my breath, I opened my eyes slowly, only to find him already staring intently at me. His lips started to curve upward into a very familiar grin.

"What was that?" I asked stupidly.

"That was me proving a point." He dropped his hands from my waist and turned away from me.

Was he kidding me? That felt like a hell of a lot more than _proving a point_.

"Why didn't you stop?" He didn't show any response to my question. "After you proved your point. Why didn't you stop?"

This time I noticed his shoulders tense at my words. He turned back around to face me and met my gaze again.

"Would you have wanted me to?" His question struck a chord because in the back of my mind I knew the honest answer to that.

I kept silent and averted from his gaze. That was all it took to give him the answer he was looking for.

"Didn't think so." He said.

I didn't quite understand what this meant for us. Where we were supposed to go from here. I did know that we needed to talk about it.

I sighed and took a step toward him.

"What does this mean?" I asked softly. It was a simple question, but it was also dangerous and filled with the possibility of changing things- A lot.

The question was left hanging in the air for a few seconds. I was almost afraid he wouldn't answer or that he would change the subject by making some crude joke.

I knew Alek wasn't the type of guy to talk about his feelings or anything personal for that matter.

He pursed his lips before speaking. "It means only as much as you want it to."

I looked down at the ground and nodded my head. From what he was telling me, I had a big decision to make. I still cared about Brian, but Alek made me feel things I had never felt before.

_What if it's just physical?_

That little voice in the back of my mind was back again. Warning me. Could I actually move on from Brian with Alek. I knew Brian and I could never be together like that. I was almost at the fully accepting stage. But what if this was nothing more than pent-up teen hormones?

The more I looked into Alek's eyes the more realization hit me. No I didn't suddenly realize that he was my _one true love_, but his eyes held a bit of vulnerability. Like I said he wasn't one to show his feelings and he was trying to guard his emotions.

Call it a special Uniter intuition if you will, but I saw through his seemingly unaffected expression.

The ride home was pretty much silent. Alek turned on some music to avoid awkwardness, but the tension was still there. There were so many things running through my mind that the fact I was still in a stolen car, was long forgotten.

When we pulled up to my house, I was still deep in thought. I felt my shoulder being nudged and finally realized Alek was trying to get my attention.

"Chloe you're home." He looked slightly amused .

"Oh. Right." I gave him a shaky laugh and stepped out of the car.

"So… I will see you tomorrow?" I spoke slowly almost as if I was uncertain of my words and was testing them out.

He nodded and smiled.

I turned away quickly, ready to get some much needed space between us so that I could think. His voice stopped me.

"Chloe?" His voice sounded just like when people say your name right before they give you a piece of advice. Of course he didn't disappoint. "Don't think too much."

With that he drove off and was gone.

_Tonight has been interesting._

When I got inside I noticed it was a little after midnight. I was pretty sure my mother was already sleeping, so I made my way quietly to my room and got ready for bed. Today has been a very eventful day, but I was ready for some much needed sleep.

I had decisions to be made, but the current one running through my mind concerned Alek. What happened tonight was obviously more than proving a point. I knew it and I am pretty sure he did too. Hell he practically laid all his cards on the table, and told me it was up to me.

If I chose to be with Alek I would undoubtedly be hurting Brian. He would probably see us around town eventually. How would that feel? He's tried to kiss me a few times, each and every time I tell him I can't. If he saw Alek and I together he would probably see me as this heartless bitch who strings guys along.

If I pretended that the kiss meant nothing, I knew I would be hurting Alek.

Even if Alek and I didn't get together, I could never be with Brian, not in the way he wants. In this scenario, both of them would be hurt.

I ran an exasperated hand down my face.

_What the fuck do I do? _

In films the characters usually get a sign or something in times like these. I got nothing. The only sound I heard was the faint sound of a far away police siren. Last time I checked, neither Alek nor Brian were in law enforcement.

_Next time I see a movie like that… I am laughing out loud._

So my plan for receiving some sign from above just went to hell. I decided sleeping on it would just be better.

That night I had another one of those dreams, but this one was different. It wasn't nightmare-like at all. In fact it made that little make out session seem like child's play.

More surprising was the person who starred in my dream.

My leading man was Alek Petrov, and I am not quite sure how I feel about that.

I was fucked… literally.

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><p><strong>What did you think? Was it good or absolute crap?<strong>

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><p><strong>TWILIGHT FANS: Check out my other story. Just uploaded Chapter 4! :)<strong>

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><p><strong>Remember reviews not only make me happy, but also give me motivation to write. Just ask LexiSceneQueen ;) Hope this was a good enough chapter and shout out for you.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

**I apologize for how long this chapter took. Things have been hectic. Who ever said your Senior year of high school is a breeze was a liar. I can already tell honors trig is going to be hell and it has only been the first week :/**

**Anyway updates will probably only happen once a week. I know many of you want more sooner, but if I do that my grades will suffer and I can't have that.**

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****(I may post some teasers for future chapters, plus you can ask me anything.)****

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**Hope this chapter delivers way past your expectations ;)**

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><p>Have you ever had that really inappropriate dream about someone you know? When I say inappropriate I mean a very sexually graphic fantasy that leaves you flustered and panting.<p>

Well if you answered yes, then you know how unbelievably awkward it can be when you have to see that person.

This morning I didn't even need my alarm clock's ringing to wake me up. I woke up out of breath and my whole body felt like it was on fire, well maybe not that hot, but it was pretty damn close.

Not only did I wake up early, but I was out of the house long before I usually leave. I didn't want to take a chance of running into Alek, knowing him he would probably show up at my house, in another stolen car, to pick me up. He would probably also bring his signature arrogant smirk with him.

So my options were slim to none. It was either avoid him or face him. I personally like the first one, because it doesn't include that awkward conversation. Of course it would only feel awkward on my part. He didn't have the same dream I did and luckily, as far as I knew, he couldn't read minds.

_Thank God. _

This morning in my haste to get out the door, I wound up grabbing Alek's jacket. It was still exactly where I had left it, on the back of the chair at the kitchen table.

_Note to self: When avoiding someone DON'T wear their jacket._

Wearing his jacket would definitely cause a smug look to make its way onto his face. That was a thought which didn't occur to me until I was already on campus. And so here we are.

I am bored out of my mind in fourth period. Ms. Manning was droning on and on about popular sovereignty. Honestly I could care less, my mind has been more focused on avoiding a certain someone. I kept expecting to find him waiting for me outside my class or leaning casually against my locker, but I never did. It was almost lunch and I had yet to see him all day.

Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Jasmine all day either. I wasn't worried per say. I mean I know for a fact both of them could hold their own.

I wasn't worried that something had happened to them. It was just… strange.

"Popular sovereignty, isn't simply a form of power a nation state has over itself and its people, it also relates to the concepts of philanthropy. Which brings me to my next top-"

The sound of that annoying high school bell had never sounded so sweet.

I started packing up my things, anxious to get out of that room. Ms. Manning was a decent teacher, but the woman was monotone. Anything she said sounded as if it were coming from one of those old educational biology videos. You know… the ones that brought you pretty damn close to killing yourself, but luckily the bell always rang before you actually followed through.

"Remember, I want that Chapter fifteen writing assignment done and on my desk by Wednesday. No exceptions." Ms. Manning spoke loudly, so that she could be heard over the continuous zipping of backpacks.

I wasn't the only one anxious to leave.

The class was immediately filled with groans of complaint and I'm almost positive I heard one of the stoner kids in the back mutter something about her being Satan.

_Dude needs to lay off his stash… he sounded dead serious._

"I'm giving you four days people, as long as you don't leave it until the last minute you should be fine. I'll see you all Monday. Have a good weekend." She finished with her hands clasped together and turned to sit down at her desk.

After I stuffed my notebook into my bag, I swung it over my shoulder and followed the line of students filing out the door.

I made it to my locker and there was still no sign of Alek. As I was putting my history book away, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw I had a new text from Amy. My shoulders dropped in disappointment, although I had no clue why.

_Because you were hoping it was Alek. _

God. There was that little voice again. I was beginning to think I was schizophrenic or something. Weren't they the ones who heard voices in their heads. Well it wasn't really a voice, more like a nagging afterthought in the back of my mind.

Then again maybe I am crazy. It wouldn't surprise me if I was. In fact it would explain a lot that has been happening as of late.

I looked down at my phone and read her text.

**Hey, we're going off campus for lunch. Meet us in the parking lot in five? - Amy**

I was about to send her a quick reply of "sure", when I heard footsteps approaching. I glanced up and saw Alek making his way down the hallway.

As he got closer, I noticed he had a cut on the side of his lower lip. He also had a small cut above his right eyebrow and had slight bruising along his cheekbone. I let out a small gasp when I looked down at his knuckles, they were bruised and slightly cut up too.

I sent Amy a quick text, but it was not with the reply I had been originally planning.

**You guys go without me. Something came up. - Chloe**

So… I forgot to mention that something was Alek. She didn't need to know that, and if she did she would just keep pressing me for details.

I closed my locker door when he got closer.

"Hey." He said this as if it were just another typical day.

Was he just going to pretend nothing happened? He obviously didn't know the first rule about lying. When it's written all over your face, there is no point.

"Hey." I replied. "What happened to you?" I nodded toward his head. No used in beating around the bush.

He glanced away for a second and shrugged.

"There was a slight _disagreement _with one of the local prides." Even I could here the hint of venom in his voice.

He was angry, and he was trying to not let it show. _Trying_ being the key word, because he was obviously failing miserably.

"You call _that_ a disagreement?" I asked sarcastically.

He laughed without humor.

"You should see the other guy."

I gave him a pointed look, clearly not amused.

"Most girls find the whole "fight club" thing kind of hot." He smirked.

"Haven't we been over this before? I am not. Most. Girls." I retorted.

In this case I was lying through my teeth. He did look hotter than usual. I guess the whole thing about girls loving bad boys was true. He had obviously gotten the upper hand in the fight. I could tell by the smugness in his tone when he told me to "see the other guy."

Nonetheless I wanted to know what happened. I wanted answers and I wanted them now.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Look I know you're knew to all of this, but these little disputes among prides are fairly common. There's always someone who gets a tad bit power hungry. They start thinking they have more say than they actually do and they start bellying that _they _know what's best for the Mai, not Valentina. These things happen occasionally and occasionally we're forced to set certain people straight."

It was a convincing enough reason, but something told me he wasn't being completely honest we me. He was holding something back.

"And this had absolutely nothing to do with me?" I pressed.

They say that when someone hesitates it tells you something. Well if that's true, then Alek had just told me everything I needed to know, without saying a single word.

He was about to argue against me, but I didn't even let him get a word out before I continued.

"Alek I don't like seeing Jasmine or you fighting my battles for me. I don't like seeing you getting hurt. Period." I said in a serious tone.

He looked almost taken back by my words.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were worried about me." He joked.

I shook my head.

"I do worry about you. I also care about you." I admitted.

We had one of those moments again. The two of us simply staring at each other, neither one saying a word. It was Alek who broke the silence this time.

"It looks worse than it is." I gave him a disbelieving look. "Really it does." He smiled.

He was trying to make me feel better, but I didn't like seeing him this way. He may have looked incredibly sexy, but I didn't enjoy the fact that he looked this way because of me.

His eyes traveled downward and he smirked.

"What?" I asked.

"I see you've grown to like my leather jacket. It's my favorite one too." My eyes widened as realization hit me. When he walked up to me I had completely forgotten about his jacket. I knew he would act this way.

"Um… I-" I started to explain, but he cut me off.

"No, I don't mind. I like seeing you in something that's mine. It looks good on you." His words brought me back to my dream last night, and a flood of explicit memories came into my mind.

_He closed the door behind him and I heard the click of a lock._

_When he turned around his eyes were dark with lust. I guess the fact that I was wearing one of his button up shirts with a bra and panties underneath, nothing else, had somewhat of an effect on him. He came towards me, more like stalked. The way he walked towards me was almost predatory. He wanted me, and both of us knew that he would have me._

"_Wouldn't want anyone to interrupt us, now would we?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer._

_He didn't even give me a chance to get a response out before crashing his lips to mine. The kiss was anything but soft and sweet, it was rough and possessive._

_It felt as though an eternity had passed before we both broke a part. I wasn't saying that was necessarily a bad thing. We were both out of breath and desperate for more._

_His lips went straight to my neck and he started backing us towards his bed. I felt the back of my knees hitting the bed and I let myself fall back. He landed on top of me, careful to keep his weight off of me._

_His kisses traveled down my neck and moved to my collarbone, until he reached the edge of my shirt. His shirt._

"_You know I love seeing you in my clothes, but this has got to go." He breathed into my ear, causing me to shiver involuntarily._

_One of his hands moved to the first button and undid it. He didn't rush, choosing to take his time unbuttoning each of them. I couldn't tell if he did that to tease me or himself._

_When the last button was undone, he pushed the shirt open, leaving me completely exposed to him. I was still wearing a bra and panties, but this is the most exposed I have ever been in front of a guy._

_I felt my heart beat quicken as he ran a finger from my collarbone all the way down until the edge of my panties._

"_Didn't really picture you as a lace kind of girl. I like it." He smirked._

_He sat up to take off his shirt, and I was so thankful that he did. I didn't have time to count, but he definitely had a something-pack of abs._

_His shirt didn't even hit the ground before he resumed his position above me. This time his lips came into contact with the skin above my breasts._

_I moaned loudly and I felt him smirk against my skin, clearly pleased with himself._

_He continued to kiss along my stomach, traveling south. He ran a hand along my thigh and I almost lost it right there. His lips left one last kiss on my stomach, right along the edge of my panties, before hooking a finger into both edges._

"_When I'm through with you, you won't even remember your own name." Looking down at him I noticed he was grinning. "That's a promise."_

"Chloe?" Alek's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

When I met his eyes, I couldn't help blushing. I must have turned about ten different shades of red.

That wasn't even the dream in its entirety, there's more. A lot more.

He chuckled when took in my flushed face.

"You're blushing. You hardly ever blush. What are you thinking about? You've got me curious now." He seemed amused by my embarrassment.

I tried my best to compose myself before answering.

"Isn't there a saying about curiosity killing cats. If humans have decent odds of dying because of curiosity, then being Mai, we must be screwed."

"Well call me crazy, but I like living a little dangerously." He smirked and threw an arm over my shoulders. "Now I'm _very _curious and you're going to tell me, because we're ditching the rest of the day." My eyes widened at his request.

He didn't give me an opportunity to protest and was already leading us down the hall toward the double doors at the end of the hall.

_Kill me now._

"_Curiosity" _

_may have killed the cat; more likely_

_the cat was just unlucky, or else curious_

_ to see what death was like, having no cause_

_to go on licking paws, or fathering_

_litter on litter of kittens, predictably._

_Nevertheless, to be curiousis dangerous enough. _

_To distrust __what is always said, what seems_

_to ask odd questions, interfere in dreams,_

_leave home, smell rats, have hunches_

_do not endear cats to those doggy circles_

_where well-smelt baskets, suitable wives, good lunches_

_are the order of things, and where prevails_

_much wagging of incurious heads and tails._

_Face it. Curiosity_

_will not cause us to die-only lack of it to want to see_

_the other side of the hill_

_or that improbable country_

_where living is an idyll _

_(although a probable hell)__would kill us all._

_Only the curious have, if they live, a tale_

_worth telling at all._

_Dogs say cats love too much, are irresponsible,_

_are changeable, marry too many wives,_

_desert their children, chill all dinner tables_

_with tales of their nine , they are lucky. _

_Let them be_

_nine-lived and contradictory,_

_ curious enough to change, prepared to pay_

_the cat price, which is to die_

_and die again and again, _

_each time with no less pain._

_A cat minority of one_

_is all that can be counted onto tell the truth._

_ And what cats have to tell_

_on each return from hell_

_is this: that dying is what the living do,that dying is what the loving do,and that dead dogs are those who do not know_

_that dying is what, to live, each has to do. _

_Curiosity by: Alastair Reid_

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><p><strong>Did that satisfy you? Not quite a lemon, but we're getting there.<strong>

**You may have my AP lit. class to thank for this update. I picked up my poetry book and opened it randomly to this poem. Come on it screamed Nine Lives, hell it was even included in the poem. Plus I really like the poem. I knew I wanted to include it and it inspired me to write :) **

**QUESTION: Did you see that EPIC finale? My mouth was literally open for the last fifteen minutes and I kept yelling "that did not just happen!" at the TV. I know it isn't right to be happy about a death, but when she said Brian was dead I was ecstatic, but sad too. (He's probably not really dead though... I won't believe it until I see his funeral scene.)**

**Well... I hope this met, if not, exceeded your expectations. You know what to do. Click on the review button and tell me what you think.**

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><p><strong>TWILIGHT FANS- Check out my other story :)<strong>

**Twitter: at xXBeautifullyME **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter nine is here!**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: If you've already read this chapter, just know that I added to the ending. Your welcome :)**

**I'm proud of myself, so far I'm sticking to my promise of a chapter every week :)**

**DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW.**

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><p><strong>This chapter is dedicated to XxXxXxILuvNicoDiAngeloxXxXxX. I was having a really bad day Friday and your review made me smile. Plus you got me into the whole Tumblr thing. I like it better than my blog, so much easier to post. Anyway I hope you like this chapter :)<strong>

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><p>He practically dragged me out the double doors at the end of the hall. I mean I wasn't resisting or anything, but he didn't even give me a chance to decline.<p>

When we got outside, my eyes narrowed as the sunlight hit them. Alek did not even seem to be phased and kept going. The guy obviously already knew where he was headed. I knew he had done this before, even before we talked to each other, I had noticed him around campus. He was a good looking guy. It was sort of hard not to notice him. My lovesick crush on him, two years ago, lasted barely a week.

As you may have guessed, it went away the second he opened his mouth and Mr. Cocky Bastard made his debut. So I will admit that he was the first guy I ever had a crush on in high school, but in my defense I was a freshman, practically still an eighth grader. I was naïve, but sobered up fairly quickly.

_Two Years Ago… _

_Amy and I were walking down the hallway and talking animatedly. Well… she was talking. She was going on and on about her new biology partner. I think his name was Hayden or something like that. He was a quarterback on the J.V. football team. Typical Amy, into her typical jocks. Honestly I wasn't listening to a word she was saying. My mind was a bit preoccupied._

_My mind was preoccupied on him._

_Alek Petrov. Apparently he had moved to San Francisco at the end of eighth grade. I wasn't the only one who noticed him. All of the girls did, even Amy. Luckily for me she asked around and found out his story, so I didn't have to. He was originally from London and came to live with his aunt. She never found out why. There was a rumor that he was kicked out of seven schools back in England. I doubt that was true though._

_Most freshmen guys looked thin, lanky, and quite frankly "freshman-like", but he was different. Physically, he was very mature for his age. He was tall and had a hint of muscle which showed through his clothes. It was only the fourth day of school, but he had a swagger to him. Almost as if he owned the place. If he really wanted to, I bet he could pass as a senior with ease. Hell even the senior girls eyed him._

"_He even plays guitar. Isn't that so hot?" Amy asked. When I didn't respond she stopped walking suddenly. "Chloe did you hear a word I said?"_

_Her fingers snapping in my face brought me out of my thoughts._

"_Huh? Oh yeah… Hayden… really hot guy… so lucky your his bio partner." I prayed to god I wasn't a million miles off. _

_She eyed me wearily._

"_What's with you?" I shrugged and looked past her. My eyes immediately locked on him._

_He was standing by the lockers, talking with a couple of guys from the basketball team. His bag was slung over one shoulder and he seemed completely at ease leaning on his left arm, against a locker._

_Amy followed my line of sight and I knew I was caught. When she returned her eyes to mine, she had a huge knowing smile on her face._

"_Ah… I see." She said._

"_See what?" I asked innocently._

"_You like him." I was about to protest, but she cut me off. "No. This is a good thing. I was beginning to get worried. You have never showed any interest in ANY guy before. I mean I was already planning on having the "are you les-" This time I cut her off._

"_No I am not a lesbian and I do NOT like him." My tone was final._

"_I believe the first part, but I highly doubt the second one."_

_I sighed and continued walking down the hall. She quickly caught up to my side. As we were walking by Alek and his friends, I tried really hard to act normal. That's when I heard it. The moment that completely changed my view of him._

"_Hey what about her? The wavy haired blonde." I heard one of the guys ask from behind me._

_Now you could say I shouldn't assume they were talking about me. There are lots of other wavy haired blondes._

"_Her name's Chloe, she's in my Algebra class." Another one quipped._

_There was a small pause, as if someone were making a decision._

"_Nah, I doubt she would put out." An unmistakable British accent filled my ears and my heart stopped._

_The rest of the guys burst out laughing._

_I can't explain to you how so many contradictions happened at once. It makes no sense to me either, but they happened none the less. His accent made me melt, but his words were like jumping into an ice cold lake. My heart was giddy that he was even acknowledging me, but my mind was angered by his nerve. In that moment realization hit me. Hard._

_I stopped dead in my tracks and turned to glared at the back of his head. Neither he, nor his friends even seemed to notice._

_Amy had heard the whole thing too. I huffed and turned to face her._

"_See. I told you I don't like him. I was right, he is a jerk." I said just as the bell rang and I stomped of to my next class. _

_I never did get a chance to tell Amy about my crush on Alek. She had assumed I had hated him from the beginning after that little "incident." No one knows but me._

_That day I found out who the real Alek Petrov was._

When we stopped walking, we were in some kind of forested area. Actually that's not true. There was well maintained grass on the ground and many redwood trees were surrounding us. This was as close to a forest as you could get in San Francisco.

I was looking around our surroundings slowly, and dropped my bag onto the grass.

"I didn't know this was here." I said thoughtfully.

He shrugged. "Most people don't. They built our school on the edge of town, so luckily we get this behind it. I found it freshman year and have been coming here ever since." He explained.

"So you do this often." I joked.

He grinned and dropped his bag right next to mine. Alek didn't say anything, but walked over to one of the wider trees, and sat down on the grass, leaning against it. He placed his forearms over his knees and looked up at me.

"Hey what were you thinking about on the way over here? You seemed zoned out. It felt like I was dragging you. I almost turned around and carried you here you know." I smiled and decided to be honest.

"You." I said simply.

He seemed intrigued, so I went on.

"I was thinking back to the first time we met… well not officially. We didn't even speak to each other, but I definitely got to know what kind of person you were like." I didn't say this bitterly, simply honestly. I had gotten a chance to know Alek since then, and he can be very sweet when he wants to be.

He furrowed his brows in confusion, so I took him on a trip down memory lane. How? By quoting none other than Mr. C.B. himself.

"Nah, I doubt she would put out." I said in my best British accent.

It took him a moment, but soon recognition filled his eyes.

"You heard that?" He seemed ashamed. Which was a big first for him. In my eyes at least.

"Yep."

He motioned for me to sit next to him, so I did. I leaned against the bark and our arms were touching. I could feel the warmth, even through the jacket.

"Look…" He started to explain.

"You don't have to explain yourself. I've gotten to know you. You're not as much of a jerk as I thought you were." I told him.

He gave me a slight smile. "Thanks, but I want to tell you. Those guys were joking about all of the girls they had gotten with, which I guarantee was all talk. Somehow the conversation shifted to me and how I needed a girl to relieve some "stress". They had pointed out some girls and I had said all of them weren't pretty enough for me. Then you walked by." He turned his body slightly to face me. "I couldn't say you weren't beautiful. I may be a good liar when needed, but I'm not that good." He said softly.

"Alek…" I didn't even know what to say. I'm not the overly emotional type, but I swear I almost felt tears in my eyes. That was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me.

He sighed. "So, I made that stupid remark and it worked. They laid off of the subject for awhile. You have to understand that meaningless flirting is fine, but getting close romantically to humans is not an option. I was protecting you by writing you off like that. I didn't know you were Mai. It's hard to tell before transformation."

"It's okay. I didn't know I was Mai either. I didn't even know there was a Mai race. Consider it forgotten and in the past." I said with a smile. "Now can I ask you something?"

He nodded.

"What was the fight really about? What really happened?" I asked seriously.

He looked down at the grass. I thought he was going to avoid the topic or tell me I had nothing to worry about. I thought he might even close himself off completely and tell me it didn't concern me. So his response shocked the hell out of me.

"It was about you." He said.

How could it have been about me? I briefly wondered if it was another one of those prides who wanted control of the Uniter put in their hands.

"Was it like the last time? Did they think they were entitled to have more control over me?"

He shook his head, still not looking at me. I; however, was looking at his profile and I noticed his jaw was tensed, more so than I have ever seen it.

"It was with a visiting pride from L.A. Valentina and Natalya Verday are very old friends. She's the Los Angeles Mai leader and most of the surrounding area. They visit each other from time to time. This time it was Natalya's turn. Unfortunately, she brought both of her sons to accompany her. Michael is fine, he's only thirteen, but his brother…" He said the last part angrily and took a moment to calm down.

"Julian. He's seventeen, but a fucking prick. He said something about you." He was scowling at the grass now.

"What did he say?" I asked.

Alek's POV

_Last Night… _

_I had just gotten home. I was in a fucking good mood too, but I should have known he would be waiting up to start something._

"_Julian." I said curtly._

_He got up from the couch and came towards me._

"_Well look who's home." He mocked. I honestly couldn't give a fuck about what he had to say, so I brushed past him, toward my room. "Have fun with the Uniter?"_

_That made me come to an abrupt stop. I dropped my keys on the counter and turned to face him slowly._

"_Did I have "fun"? We were training." I sneered._

"_I'll bet you were training. Probably working her hard too." I felt this intense tightening in my chest from his words. My hands close into fists on their own accord._

"_Shut the fuck up." He grinned at this. He knew he was close to getting what he wanted. He wanted to get a rise out of me and if he didn't shut that pretty boy mouth of his, he was about to get it._

"_Chloe is it?" The way her name sounded coming from his vulgar mouth, made me want to punch him in the face. "I bet she's pretty. You don't seem like the type to waste your time on unattractive girls."_

"_Fuck you Julian." I said venomously._

"_Have you and your little Uniter done the deed too?" I ground my teeth. I was losing my battle over control of my actions, I could feel it. "She must be a feisty one in bed. Now I get it. Those "training sessions" are just a cover. You probably fuck her." He sucked in a breath of air. "I got to hand it to you man… clever." He smirked. _

_I said nothing, but sent him a dangerous warning with my eyes._

"_You think you'd let me get a taste of her before we head back? Sharing's only fair. Hopefully the bitch knows how to swallow." That was it. I could feel my eyes shifting. _

_I lunged for him and tackled him to the ground. He landed on the hardwood floor with a loud thud. The wind was knocked out of him._

"_How about you swallow your own teeth, while I knock them down your throat?" I didn't think twice before punching him square in the face._

Chloe's POV

"And that's what started it." He finished.

"Wow… I didn't want you to fight for me, but that guy sounds like he had it coming, so thank you." I said.

"No problem. I got blood some on the hardwood floor, but on the plus side, they left early. Valentina and Natalya weren't too pleased with either of us. Mainly me, considering I won." He chuckled.

I laughed despite myself. It was pretty funny, if you think about it.

The laughter died down, but Alek was quick to fill the silence.

"Alright, my turn. My question."

I guess we were doing some kind of twenty questions thing.

"Okay. Ask me anything." I said.

"What was your dream about?" He asked this casually, but my heart literally stopped.

My head snapped up and my eyes widened. He was smirking. Those five words caused my entire face to pale. I think I almost forgot how to breathe for a second.

The main thought running through my mind was _for the love of god, please don't be a mind reader._

_How the hell did I get into this mess, and how the fuck do I get out?_

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><p><strong>(AN: I did originally leave it at that... but what the hell, here's a little more)**

"What are you talking about?" I didn't want to have one of those moments where you end up giving information away, only to find out that the person never knew anything until you just told them.

"I heard you say my name in your sleep." He argued.

Whoa. Wait just one minute, was he watching me twenty four seven? This was not okay. I mean I get that he wants to protect me, but I need some privacy every once in a while. Last time I checked, the time between going to bed and waking up is included in that time.

I realized I should voice my thoughts and find out what he was doing in my room last night. How did he even get in. I could have sworn I locked my window.

"And how would you know that? Were you in my room?" I accused. My tone was probably a little more forceful than it needed to be, but my dream was pretty intense. If he knew about it, I would be mortified.

"No I wasn't in your room." He sounded as if my accusatory tone was the most ridiculous thing in the world.

"Then how would you know whether I said your name or not?"

He rolled his eyes. "After my little incident with Julian, I was really pissed off. I needed to cool off before I hit something or someone, mainly Julian. So I offered to make a quick stop to your house, you know to make sure no one was trying to kill you in your sleep. I was on the roof, not your room." He added.

"Oh." I said lamely.

He chuckled at that reply. "Yeah… oh. Anyway, I was about to leave when I heard you say my name." I was about to remind him about what he told me about eavesdropping, but he apparently already saw where my mind was headed. "I know what your thinking, but it's kind of hard to not train your hearing on something when your name is included. It's an involuntary reflex." He defended.

"What else did you hear?" I asked slowly. Half afraid and half dying to know the answer.

"Just my name." I sighed in relief. "Five times… and then there was that moaning." He grinned.

His eyes seemed to darken at the memory of the night before. There was no denying anything now. He practically had a partially written script of my dream in his head. He could fill in the blanks on his own.

"I have to tell you…" He leaned closer and my eyes closed. "you made it damn hard to go home last night." He whispered in my ear. I couldn't tell whether he intended for that to be a sexual innuendo or not.

I let out a shaky breath. Alek definitely knew how to have an effect on me. The rational part of me was screaming "deny deny deny" but for some unknown reason, another part of me wanted to tell him. Everything. Just so I could see his reaction.

The rational part eventually won and I covered my face with my hands, groaning.

Don't let him see you blush.

He laughed and buried his face in the crook of my neck. The vibrations from his laughter sent a strange feeling through me.

"This is so embarrassing." I groaned.

He took my hands in his and removed them from my face.

"So you have a sex dream about me, big deal." Was he kidding me? It was alright to have a dream like that… okay I'll give him that but the other person is never supposed to find out about it. "I've had my fair share about you, probably a lot worse than yours." He admitted, but he didn't seem embarrassed at all. Figures.

"You have?" I asked genuinely interested. Better to discuss his dreams than mine.

"Mhm, my favorite involved a sleek black Lamborghini Gallardo." He said biting his lip. "It was actually the reason I borrowed that Aston Martin, closest thing to the one in my dream."

"And what you were hoping for a round two?" I snorted.

"Of course not. The things we did would be considered illegal in public." Alek had a dirty mind. I knew this well, so just imagining what could be considered a fantasy to him, caused me to blush again.

"Like I said in the hallway, that blush is making me very intrigued. I told you about mine. Your turn." He smirked.

I bit my lip and held back from answering.

"Come on, you know you want to." He urged.

I sighed and mumbled my answer quickly "Iwaswearingyourshirt."

"What was that?"

"I said I was wearing your shirt." I said, refusing to meet his eyes. "Only your shirt." I had no clue why I added that little detail, but when I finally gathered the nerve to look into his eyes, they were the darkest I had ever seen them.

There was a low growl-like sound and I realized it came from Alek. I was taken back by the noise and looked at him strangely.

"Tell me something." He said softly, while leaning closer. "Have you ever had a dream like that about… Brian?" He asked, glancing back and forth between my eyes and lips. His were only inches from mine.

"No," I breathed, leaning in closer "only you." I don't know who closed the gap between us, but I do know that shortly after my reply, I felt his lips press against mine. This kiss was different from the one in the park. It wasn't hard and possessive, it was soft and slow. Something I didn't think he was capable of. I kissed him back because I wanted to. I liked his lips on mine. I liked the idea of kissing someone, and having death be the farthest thing from my mind. I had gotten a taste of Alek once before, and this time I realized one thing. I wanted more.

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><p><strong>There it is! I really enjoyed writing this, especially in Alek's POV :)<strong>

**Feedback would be great, so don't forget to review. I spend a lot of time writing these chapters and really want to know what you think.**

**Like I said I made a Tumblr. This is probably where I will post teasers and chapter pics, so feel free to check it out and follow. You can even ask me questions about the story...**

**Tumblr: beautifullyimperfect94(dot)tumblr(dot)com **


	10. Chapter 10

**I liked writing this it was a lot of fun. Hope you all enjoy it :)**

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><p>This wasn't rational. It was impulsive and the farthest away from rational as you could get. Some might even consider this cheating, a part of me was included in that group. I knew Brian cared about me. I could even see he was falling for me. It was blatantly obvious every time he looked at me.<p>

There were times where we could be having a perfectly normal conversation, and his eyes would randomly soften while I was talking. If I was being completely honest with myself, I could say that I almost fell for him. Almost. I've been so close to the edge for so long, but kissing Alek made me see, it was time to pull myself back. It was time to stop being so selfish and stubborn. Leading both of us down a road that would only lead us to hurt. That wasn't right. Starting something I couldn't finish, because with Brian I couldn't finish, I could only end. In this case they held two different meanings.

Kissing Alek was indescribable. No matter how many words I thought of, even if I tried to look up the perfect set of words, none of them would be close to describing how it felt. His lips had a way of making me forget. They made me forget about all the death, all the lies and all of the truth which has made its way into my life.

I had only kissed Alek twice, but this kiss made me take note of something else. Every time Alek kissed me, it felt like he was kissing me for the last time. I know he's not in love with me, but he puts so much into his kisses without even trying. As lame as this sounds, that is what has me breathless and makes my heart feel like it skipped a beat every time his lips connect with mine.

I could never have that with Brian. Ever. And no matter how many times I fooled myself into believing there might be a chance, there wasn't. This made me realize that. It opened my eyes.

I felt him apply more pressure to my lips, and a second later I felt myself being lowered slowly to the ground. He kept his arms at my sides, as he followed me down. His lips never left mine. I could feel him on top of me, but he was careful to keep his weight off of me, using his arms to do so.

Honestly though, I could care less if he crushed me. I brought my hands to his shoulders and pulled him down closer. My reason for that was to feel more of him, I didn't plan on feeling all of him. When I felt him against my jeans, I let out a small gasp. The feeling was new and though I've had little experience, one of the hottest things I have ever felt.

This time, I decided to be bold and ran my tongue along his bottom lip before he had a chance to do so. He was the one who taught me that little trick, and I was a fast learner. I could tell I surprised him with that move. I felt the muscles in his abs contracting, loosening when he realized what I wanted and opened his mouth more than willingly.

I was hoping kissing him this way would feel just as good as last night, but I was wrong. For some reason this kiss felt ten times better. I moved my tongue slowly with his and he brought one hand down to my waist. He slipped past his jacket and I could feel his fingertips on the small space of skin where my shirt had ridden up. His touch felt oddly similar to my dream. It seemed to make my skin heat up at the slightest contact.

I brought one of my hands to the back of his head. Having my fingers in his hair was quickly becoming one of my all time favorite things. When I tugged lightly, it only encouraged him to further deepen the kiss and I was not complaining at all.

I can't even tell you how long we stayed like that, making out on the ground. All I know is after a while, I heard the school bell ring signaling the end of fifth period. At least I think it was fifth period...

The sound in the far distance; however, brought us back to the real world. We broke the kiss panting. He looked into my eyes and smiled, but Alek being Alek was already leaning down, ready for round two.

"Wait." I said out of breath, using my palms to push him back.

He seemed confused by my sudden reluctance to continue.

"What?" He grinned.

This made me roll my eyes at him. "We can't just make out all day." I reasoned.

He looked off at something in the distance and acted as though he were thinking. Then a slow smile crept onto his face as he brought his eyes back to mine.

"Actually… I believe we can." He kissed my neck to emphasize his point, causing me to giggle and shove him off playfully. He landed on his back at my side and chuckled.

As I laid there looking at the sky, I knew I had to ask him an important question. This changed things, hell this complicated things. A lot. I needed to know what exactly we were doing. I've heard guys have a tendency to want what they can't have, so if this was a game to him, it had to stop now.

I took a deep breath. In and out.

"So… what does this mean?" I asked.

His momentary silence frightened me for a second, and had me wishing I'd never opened my mouth.

"It means whatever you want it to mean," He finally said. I turned my head to look at him and he continued. "but… I'm not going to share you Chloe. If you don't want this, that's fine. We'll end it now, but if you do, then you've got a choice to make."

And there it was. The ultimatum.

This time, that little voice in my head. The one deep in my subconscious. It was louder than ever.

_Brian's falling for you and you can never be with him._

I thought back to my earlier musings. I thought back to how kissing Alek made me feel.

"_That is what has me breathless and makes my heart feel like it skipped a beat every time his lips connect with mine. You can never have that with Brian. Ever."_

To say I was conflicted would be an understatement.

_One slip up… and he dies. Can you live with that?_

That felt like a slap in the face, but it was exactly what I needed. Being the reason for Brian's death, was something I couldn't live with. Knowing he died because of my selfishness and my stubbornness would haunt me forever. I was playing with fire. Everyone around me kept warning me and it was time I stepped away from the flames.

I knew I was making the right decision, and that I could live with.

"I choose you." I whispered.

"What did you say?" He was either completely shocked by my decision, or honestly didn't hear me.

"I said… I choose you." I repeated.

He was silent and now I was the one surprised. Alek always had something to say, especially when he got what he wanted.

I propped myself up on my elbow and looked down at him amused. "What, nothing to say? You're one of the cockiest guys I know. Shouldn't you be gloating or making some smug comment by now?" I laughed.

He gave me a small smile and shook his head. "Are you sure this is what you want?" His voice was soft and while I knew he'd never admit it, he was afraid of my answer.

I sighed and nodded. " I know what you're thinking, but you're not a second choice. Brian and I can never be together. The closer we get, the closer he gets to death. I couldn't live with that." I said sadly.

He brought his hand to my cheek and brushed the tear away. I hadn't even realized I started crying.

"I could care less about him, not exactly his biggest fan. I do; however, care about you and I can see how hard this is for you."

"It is hard, but it's something I never should have started." I admitted.

He leaned up and gave me a chaste kiss. "You were right. I am cocky, and I'm _very _pleased with your choice." He kissed me again.

"Slow down Romeo. There's one condition." He groaned and fell back.

"And that would be?"

"I want to end things officially with him before we go any further." I said.

He didn't seem happy, but nodded anyway.

A few moments later he stood up abruptly. "What are you doing?" I asked, sitting up.

He smiled down at me and offered a hand. " I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"I like the way you think Petrov." I smirked and took his hand. When I was standing, he pulled me toward his chest.

"You probably wouldn't be saying that if you know what else I was thinking." He winked. I slapped him playfully on the arm and warned him with my eyes.

"Oh please, like you wouldn't love it. With your fantasies and all." He laughed.

"Didn't you say something about food?"

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><p>Four days later…<p>

I've been trying to get in touch with Brian since Friday, that was four days ago. Every time I sent him a text, I never got a reply and every call, went straight to voicemail. It was strange to say the least. Usually he would reply within ten minutes.

It was now Tuesday and Brian was leaving for Italy today. I had briefly considered meeting him at the airport, but decided against it. This business trip was important to him. If his father wasn't satisfied with one little thing, he would be heading back to college and I knew he didn't want that. Telling him we couldn't see each other anymore, probably wouldn't allow him to focus. I wasn't having any luck reaching him, so I ultimately decided to wait until he got back. Alek wouldn't be too pleased with that, but two weeks wouldn't kill him.

I was in the dining room, finishing up my history essay, when my phone rang. The screen lit up with Brian's name. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion and I glanced toward the clock on the wall. It was five thirty. Brian had told me his flight was taking off at nine in the morning.

I hit answer and brought the phone to my ear. "Brian?"

"Hey Chloe." It was definitely him, but I was still confused by his phone call. I haven't been able to reach him for four days, and now he calls out of the blue like this?

"Hey… are you calling from the plane?" I asked.

"Plane?" He sounded like he had no idea what I was talking about. "Oh… right. No my, uh… flight was delayed." He explained.

"Oh." He was acting strange, it was clear in his voice.

"Listen, will you meet me in half an hour. I really need to see you before I… leave." Something told me he wasn't being honest with me, but I agreed.

Half an hour later I found myself at the coffee shop we always met at. I didn't have to wait long, he showed up five minutes after I did. We sat down at a table after we ordered.

"So… how long do you have until your flight leaves?" I started.

"Eight." He replied, not meeting my eyes, and I looked at him strangely. Brain was still acting odd. He seemed tense and on edge. When he finally did meet my eyes, he seemed to be able to read my thoughts. "Look, I know I'm probably acting weird… but I just found out something you wouldn't believe."

I wanted to laugh out loud. Was he serious? If there was anyone on this planet that would believe the unbelievable, it was me.

"Try me."

He shook his head. "As much as I want to, I can't. You're always telling me to trust you. Well trust me this time. It's not something easy to say… and I'm not so sure I'm ready to tell anyone."

I nodded because he had a point. There have been countless times Brian had asked me to explain my behavior and I just couldn't.

After a few moments of silence, he literally almost knocked me dead with what he said next.

"Do you believe in dying more than once?" My eyes snapped to his and widened. I swear the world as well as my heart stopped.

There's weird coincidences and then there's being eerily close to the truth. He was the latter.

_Did I even hear him right?_

I swallowed. "Where did that come from?" I asked slowly.

"I don't even know why I asked that. Forget it." He told me, but I couldn't forget it.

The more I looked at him, the more I knew I had to end things now. I convinced myself waiting two weeks was the best for him, but that was a lie. I was doing it again, fooling myself into believing I could hold on for just a little longer.

_Tell him._

This might hurt him, but it had to be done.

"I've been trying to reach you." I said. "I really wanted to talk to you about something."

"I saw your messages, but I've just had a lot going on. I'm sorry for that. What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You know I care about you." I began. He seemed to sense where the conversation was headed and glanced away for a second. I didn't blame him. I had practically said the infamous lines of "we need to talk".

"This doesn't sound good" He said solemnly.

"I just think we've been getting too serious. I don't think we're on the same page." I lied.

"Same. Page." He said incredulously. "What does that even mean?"

"We can't-" I sighed.

"We can't what? Go ahead and say it Chloe." He was hurt, I could tell and he was trying to mask it with anger.

"I have a boyfriend." I blurted out.

"When did this happen?" He asked.

I decided to be honest with him. He deserved that much. "He kissed me Friday, and I kissed him back." I left out the part about the other kiss. It would probably only hurt him more.

"And the whole thing about not being ready for a relationship…" He trailed off.

"When I'm with Alek, it's different." That was the truth, for one he couldn't die. "I mean-" I stopped mid sentence, when I suddenly felt and immense amount of anger involuntarily. That was when I noticed his aura. It was an intense red color, one that seemed frighteningly similar to the one in my dream.

"Alek." He said his name with venom. Brian was usually so sweet and laid back. I had never seen this side of him, and I didn't like it.

"I can tell you're upset." I let out a breath of air frustrated. "God. I knew I should have waited until you got back. I don't want you to go to Italy angry and-" He cut me off.

"No. There's no use in stringing this along anymore than we have to right?" Ouch. Okay I guess I deserved that. His tone was cold. I had never heard him use that type of voice with me. "I just don't understand why you would use an old boyfriends death as an excuse, that was low. If you didn't see me that way than you should have said so."

"The last thing I wanted to do was hurt you." I said in a shaky voice. My eyes were on the verge of tears. This was a lot harder than I thought. "I'm sorry."

He didn't say anything.

"Brian?" His jaw tensed at the sound of his name.

"I think we're done. I've got a flight to catch." He said standing up. I could tell he was distancing himself and again, I didn't blame him.

I nodded. There wasn't anything else left to say and nothing I did could fix this.

"Bye Chloe." With that he was gone.

"Bye." I half whispered and sobbed, even though there was no one there to hear me.

He hated me. It was evident in his words, his actions, and his tone of voice. Well… I'd rather have him hate me for the rest of his life than to have his life cut short. That I could live with.

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><p>After sitting in that coffee shop for what felt like hours, I decided to head over to Alek and Jasmine's house. Tonight was one of the rare nights where we didn't have training, and I needed someone to talk to.<p>

I couldn't turn to my mother. She was a great listener and gave fantastic advice, but this was something not even she could handle. She would inevitably ask me why I ended things with Brian. She would ask for a solid reason why it wouldn't work, and the best reply I could give her was that she just wouldn't understand. I couldn't exactly tell her "well mom, it's nothing major, except for the fact that he'll die if I kiss him."

She'd probably think it had something to do with my father leaving and take me to a therapist or worse, a psych ward. No thank you.

And that's how I found myself where I am now. Standing in front of Alek and Jasmine's door. The guards downstairs already knew me, so they let me come right up.

I knocked on the door twice.

A few seconds later I heard the faint sounds of clicking heels on hardwood, making their way to the door. The door swung open and I was greeted by a somewhat surprised Valentina.

"Chloe. What are you doing here?" She inquired.

"I was hoping I could talk to Alek or Jasmine. Preferably Jasmine though." I told her.

"I see. Come in." She insisted and I followed her inside. "Both of them went downtown to get takeout, but they should be back in half an hour. You're more than welcome to wait." She said as she shut the door.

"Okay." From the corner of my eye, I could tell she was studying my face. My eyes were puffy and red from crying and she obviously took note of that.

Valentina was one of the coldest and hardest women I have ever met. I understand that she put her Mai duties above all else, but at times she had a way of coming across as a cold bitch. I've seen how she treats Jasmine sometimes, it's like nothing she does is up to her standards. That being said, I had no clue how she was going to react to my current state. She might see it as me being weak and tell me to suck it up.

"This is about Brian." She said matter-of-factly.

_How the hell did she do that? _

I looked at her with wide eyes, completely baffled by her dead on assumption.

"Are you a mind reader or something?" I asked with a shaking laugh.

She gave me a small close lipped smile. I wasn't expecting anything more. Valentina was serious ninety-nine percent of the time. Seeing her laugh was rare, something I honestly don't think I would ever see.

"No, but the word heartbreak is practically written on your face. I'm also very perceptive and put two and two together." She said.

She led me over toward the kitchen isle and motioned for me to sit down on one of the stools.

She turned her back to me and opened the door to a cupboard.

"I don't think tea will work in my case." I said to her back.

She turned around with two dark blue porcelain bowls in her hands. "I may not be a teenager, and I may seem like a overly serious person, but I do know the rules of heartbreak." She opened the second door of the fridge and pulled out a tub of chocolate ice-cream, sliding it over to me. "Tea." She scoffed as though it were an insult.

Once we had our ice creams made, I decided to ask her a question I had been wondering for a while.

"Valentina, how does the whole dating thing work in the Mai world?" I asked. "Does the Uniter even get to date?"

She sighed. "Yes. The option to date is open to anyone, even Mai. All Mai. We just can't become entangled with humans, as I see you've had to learn the hard way. Twice." She looked at me as she said this. " I'm sure Jasmine has told you about how I reacted to her recent date." I nodded. "Well finding someone to be with is perfectly fine, but it can also serve as a distraction. We can't afford that right now."

She took my silence as an inclination to continue. "There's also a belief among Mai. It's been around since the beginning of our race." Now this had me intrigued.

"Another prophecy?" I laughed.

"I wouldn't call it that." She countered. "You see there's an ancient belief that there is a _mate _destined for each Mai. Each Mai is believed to have their second half." She noticed my reaction to the word "mate". "We don't like to call it _mates _anymore, we may not be human, but we certainly are not animals. It is more of an ancient term. It is virtually the same thing as true love, but stronger."

"What do you mean by stronger?" I wondered.

"Well it's said to be a strong connection, both physically and mentally. This may seem just like the humans belief in soul mates, but humans don't have the same sense of their partners as we do. Mai can sense the emotions of their "mate", by a single touch or look. That's why when Jasmine told me about your empathy gift, I worried. But when it happened more than once, and with different people, I realized it wasn't anything more than a gift. A wonderful gift if I may add."

"But you said I couldn't sense other Mai's emotions." I stated.

"You can't. Unless they're your other half. It's just a silly Mai belief." Just as she said this the door opened and Alek stepped through holding a brown paper bag. His eyes immediately locked with mine and he smiled.

She had said it was just a "silly" Mai belief, but there was nothing silly about the sudden warmth I felt in my chest when my eyes locked with Alek's. The feeling was as real as you could get and definitely not a figment of my imagination.

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><p><strong>There you go :)<strong>

**Don't forget to leave reviews. It's Labor day weekend, which means no school tomorrow. If I get enough reviews, I may just be tempted to write another chapter or at least upload a teaser... I'm just saying ;)**

**NOTE: Someone mentioned that I needed more Chalek and M rating. I understand where you're coming from, but you all need to understand that I can't have non-stop Chalek. That's not a story. I need to fit in details along the way. As for the M rating stuff, please be patient. Remember Chloe's a virgin. Just be glad Brian's out of the picture... for now.**

**Tumblr: **beautifullyimperfect94(dot)tumblr(dot)com****

****Twitter: xXBeautifullyME****


	11. Chapter 11

**I know this is shorter than usual, but I still wanted to give you all something. I have a funeral to go to, so I hope you all understand.**

**I've honestly had a pretty terrible week, but hopefully that doesn't show in my writing...**

**Just a heads up, I did not re-read this chapter for grammar mistakes... so if there are any, I'll fix them when I have time.**

**This may come as a shock, but reviews make writers VERY happy lol.**

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><p><strong>Special thanks to ThisIsMe.1758 for that whole "curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back." I have never heard that before. Love it :)<strong>

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><p>For the moment, I decided to avert my gaze and ignore that feeling in my chest. I glanced over at Valentina and was relived to see not even a hint of suspicion in her eyes. She didn't even seem to take notice of our little exchange. Her words from earlier rang in my head.<p>

"_Finding someone to be with is perfectly fine, but it can also serve as a distraction. We can't afford that right now."_

Jasmine had told me Valentina wasn't too pleased when she found out about Zane. Actually that would be an understatement. She used it as another opportunity to let Jasmine know she had let her down. Again.

"_You're getting sidetracked by all of these… distractions. I expected more from you." _I believe she had said.

If she had a problem with her own daughter dating, I could only imagine how she would react to The Uniter doing so. I could already hear the long lectures about how being focused could mean the difference between life and death. When she found out it was Alek… I didn't even want to imagine that reaction.

I was brought out of my thoughts by the clinking sound of Alek's keys hitting the marble countertop. When I glanced up, he was suddenly right next to me.

He looked like he was about to say something, but Valentina beat him to it.

"Where is she?" She asked tersely.

_She?_

I took a moment to look around the room. There was no sign of Jasmine. Hadn't she said both of them went to get takeout? My gaze shifted to Valentina and her expression was not what you would expect of a typical parent. Her eyes didn't show worry or concern, they were narrowed and angry.

Alek also seem to sense this and sighed.

"She should be back in an hour." I could tell he was trying to cover for Jasmine.

"You didn't answer my question. Where is she?" Her calm voice didn't fool either one of us.

His eyes met mine and I could physically sense the conflict within him. "She ran into Zane at Nanking." He replied.

She took in the information, but didn't appear to be surprised. Something told me she knew exactly where her daughter was from the second Alek walked in alone.

"They're just talking." He added.

This was the first time, since I arrived, that I truly felt like I shouldn't be here. I could sense the tension in the room. It was thick and heavy… kind of hard to miss, let alone ignore.

Valentina simply let out a breath of air and nodded. "I see… well as much as I hate to do so, I'll let her learn from her own mistakes." She said.

Alek and I looked at each other again, but remained silent. A very smart decision right now. She was on edge, and it wouldn't take much to get on her bad side. That is a place no one in their right mind would want to be.

The sound of a phone ringing thankfully broke the unbearable silence. When she pulled out her phone, she glanced down at the caller id and stepped out of the room. I let out a sigh of relief as soon as she was out of earshot. Even though Mai have heightened hearing, I sincerely hoped the phone would distract her.

"That was…" I started, not knowing exactly what to call it.

He chuckled at my dumbfounded expression. "Typical Valentina." He finished.

"I figured as much. Good thing I don't live here." I joked.

He looked away thoughtfully and I could already see his dirty mind considering that possibility. A mischievous grin made its way onto his face and I knew I was right.

"I don't know… might be pretty _satisfying_." He counter. I wanted to laugh and slap him, all at the same time. Alek had his sweet moments, but somehow he always managed to let his cocky side make a quick appearance.

I glared at him, but laughed despite myself. A few moments later, Valentina returned. She was putting on her coat and seemed to be in a hurry.

"Please tell me you're not going to get Jasmine. I told you… she'll be back soon. We don't even have training tonight." Alek's words were reasonable, but the only effect they had on her was amusement.

"Alek, I'm sure Jasmine would appreciate your efforts, but save them. I'm not going after her." She said grabbing her keys. "I need to go meet someone and I'm trusting you two will stay out of trouble..." She eyed both of us and made her way out the door.

Alek sighed dramatically. "Well… I guess burning the house down is out."

I rested my head on my palm and looked at him. "Damn." I said, playing along.

It was then that I noticed we were all alone. My stomach fluttered, but I couldn't tell if it was from nerves or simply because Alek was so close. This was the first time we had been alone, since we kissed, and I wasn't sure how I felt about that. I was still upset by how things had ended with Brian, but I had to move on.

"So not that I'm complaining, but what are you doing here?" He asked.

I guess now was as good a time as ever to tell him.

"I um… I talked to Brian tonight." I said quietly. "It's over. I think he hates me now, but it's what's best." I was still trying to convince myself, even though there were no counter arguments for the other side.

Knowing Alek, I was preparing myself for some cocky remark or insult towards Brian. Surprisingly, it never came.

"What about you? Are you okay?" I was caught off guard by the concern lacing his voice.

"Yeah. I wish we could have ended on better terms, but I'm alright." I shrugged with a small smile.

He held my gaze, almost as if he was judging whether I was being honest or not. When he was certain I was being truthful, he pushed away from the kitchen isle and started walking toward the hallway.

"I want to show you something." He said over his shoulder.

Part of me was hesitant, but once again curiosity got the best of me. I hopped off the stool and followed after him.

_Sure blame it on curiosity. Curiosity may have killed the cat… but _satisfaction _brought it back. I'm sure Alek could…_

Okay… my inner voice has got some serious issues. Always when he's around. Always.

He led us to the last door at the end of the hall and smiled at me before opening the door.

I stepped in after he motioned for me to go ahead of him. When I looked around, I let out a small gasp. This was a bedroom. Alek's bedroom to be more exact.

_Well where did you think he was taking you?_

After my initial shock of being in a guys bedroom for the first time, other than Paul, I looked around.

All of the walls were grey, apart from the one behind the bed, which was black.

At the far corner of the room, was a sleek black desk. On top of it, sat a plain white lamp. The entire room was dimly lit by its illuminating glow. His bed was a mixture of black and grey. Just as you would expect from a guys bed, it was simple. I noticed he even had a large mirror hanging above the headboard. That made me want to laugh.

_Someone's vain… _

I motioned toward the mirror with my head and he laughed.

"Ever since I moved here, I've always hated that thing. Seems a bit over the top to me." He said.

I turned back around.

All of the previously mentioned was nothing compared to what really caught my eye.

His room had a large window, covered in sheer black curtains. You could see the entire city from here. Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been fascinated by the view of San Francisco. Especially at night.

Without thinking, I walked closer to the window. I could feel him following me.

The city was completely lit by the lights from the nearby skyscrapers. It caused a deep blue color to appear in the sky and around the buildings. I couldn't see any stars. The city lights were too bright, but the view was breathtaking nonetheless. You might think that the lack of stars would take away from the view, but it only served to heighten the effect. It looked like I was staring into a midnight blue ocean in the sky.

"It's beautiful." I breathed.

"Yeah… beautiful." He said softly.

When I looked over at him, his eyes weren't on the view. They were directly on me. When I looked into his eyes, I saw something that I have never seen before, not with Alek. I felt that strong pull in my chest again. This time, Alek seemed to be taken back by something. His eyes glanced away from mine and his brows furrowed.

"Did you feel that?" He whispered.

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><p><strong>Hope you all enjoyed that. Tell me what you thought?<strong>

**I'm not sure if I'll try to add onto this chapter during the week or add to the next one. If I do decide to add onto this one, I'll just delete and re-upload the chapter.**

**QUESTION 1: Should Alek play an instrument? If so which one? (I think guys that play guitar or piano are extra hot) It's just an idea I'm throwing out there. **

**QUESTION 2: How did I do describing the San Francisco view? I live about an hour away and have been there lots of times, which is pretty beneficial for this story. **

**If you want to see Alek's bedroom, just visit my tumblr. (****beautifullyimperfect94(dot)tumblr(dot)com)**** It's not exactly what I pictured, but I described the changes below it.**

**Remember... review :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**It has been a VERY long time since I updated and for that I'm REALLY sorry. I'm not going to waste your time with a list full of excuses. Both life and my last year of high school have been hectic. I'll leave it at that.**

**I'll give more details at the end.**

**Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, so consider this my treat for you.**

**Here you go. The long anticipated twelfth chapter**

**Reviews are appreciated :)**

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><p>It felt like one of those questioning moments. I wasn't sure if I had actually heard him say those words, or if my mind was playing a trick on me. If it was, then this was on an entirely new level of cruel and sick.<p>

I tried to mask my shocked expression the best I could, but I'm sure he took note of the slight widening of my eyes.

"Feel what exactly?" I asked. I needed him to tell me that I wasn't going crazy and that what Valentina had said wasn't so far fetched either. It was a cowardly move on my part, I'll admit that, but I needed to know.

"I think you already know." All I gave him in return was silence. He let out a frustrated sigh, but went on. "Are you really going to stand there and tell me you don't feel it?"

"Alek, I just need to be sure. To _know_." His eyes softened, and I knew he understood what I meant.

He turned his body away from me and faced the window.

"It happens every time… every single damn time you step into a room." He grimaced. "God, how fucking cliché does that sound?"

"What does it feel like? For you I mean." I wondered.

He thought about it for a moment.

"It's just a feeling I get in my chest. I don't even know how to describe it." He said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "It's like… trying to describe the feeling of air on your skin. I mean, sometimes I don't even notice it. Other times I can't notice anything but it. That's how strong it gets at times." He looked at me expectantly when he finished.

I shrugged. I was at a loss for words honestly.

"Now would be the time to say something…" He chuckled.

"Wow?" I offered with a smile and sat down next to him.

I sat there thinking about what this meant. This whole "mate" thing… no that sounds strange, even in my head. It was more like a _connection_, that seemed like a more appropriate term. What ever the hell this was… I didn't really know how I should feel about it. I liked being with Alek, but did this mean I was supposed to suddenly fall in love with him?

And there it was. The question I needed to ask myself?

_Do you love him? _

As I was thinking, I felt my arm being nudged. "Chloe, you're doing it again."

I looked over at him and found a amusement in his eyes. I returned his with a confused look of my own. "Doing what?"

"Getting that far off and serious look on your face. You get it when you're thinking too hard, and you always have a small crease right here…" He brushed his thumb over the space between my eyebrows. "you even pout without realizing it." He laughed.

Was I really thinking that hard? I didn't even realize there was a _look_, as he put it.

"Do I really do it that often?" I asked.

"Oh yes, sometimes I think you may end up hurting yourself." I could tell he was trying to keep his face serious, but his eyes and that ghost of a smile on his face gave him away completely.

I shook my head and glanced at the wall. "If you only knew what I was thinking about." I muttered under my breath.

To my surprise, he laughed.

"Chloe, in case you haven't noticed, muttering doesn't really work for Mai. Enhanced hearing…" He motioned to his ears. "…but in any case, I would love to know what you were thinking about. Must be good."

_Good_? That was the understatement of the century. It was at times like these, once again, I was thankful mind reading was not part of the Mai description. I could hardly figure out what these thoughts running through my head meant, I could only imagine what Alek's input would be.

"It is." I said.

"Is that all I get?" I wanted to burst out laughing. Moments ago he was making fun of my pout?

"Yep."

He rolled his eyes, but seemed to let the matter drop. But of course, in order for him to let a subject go, he needs to find something else to be interested in.

"Chloe?" He asked suddenly. His tone of voice was one I had never heard before. It wasn't light and playful. It was almost raspy.

I turned my body to face him, sitting cross-legged to get more comfortable. When I was fully facing him, I nodded for him to go ahead and say what he intended to.

"So… you broke up with him right?" He moved closer to me.

"Yeah… I did." I said simply.

"Officially?" Even closer.

All I could do was nod. He had a strange effect on me sometimes. It was almost frustrating. No, I completely take that back. It _was _frustrating, no question, but if I was being honest… I liked it.

He brought a hand to the back of my neck and pulled me closer. I knew he was going to kiss me. It was evident in his eyes. I could even say I felt his intention within myself too. As with most things though, you can anticipate and attempt to ready yourself, but nothing compares to the moment that it actually happens.

He closed the space between us and I closed my eyes as soon as I felt his lips brush against mine. It started off slow, but was not chaste in the least. Having regained some of my thought process back, I decided to be a little bolder. I sat up on my knees and wrapped my arms around his neck.

I was debating whether I should do something else.

_You've seen people do it in thousands of movies. It's not that big of a deal…_

Easier said than done.

Apparently Alek made the decision for me. He brought his hands to my hips, lips never leaving mine, and guided my body until my knees were on either side of him. This meant we were a lot closer and it was a much more comfortable position. It also meant that we were a lot _closer_… there was practically no space between the two of us.

If I pressed my chest against his just right, I could feel his heart beat. It was increasing its speed with every second, much like my own.

The hands on my hips moved a little lower and slipped under the hem of my shirt. I felt his touch on my skin, no longer having a fabric barrier separating the two.

I gasped at the feeling, but pressed my lips harder against his to let him know that it was okay. It was more than okay.

Without thinking I pressed my center into him. If the low groan he let out was any indication, I had a feeling that was also okay in his book.

He moved to my neck, giving both of us a chance to breathe. I tilted my head to give him better access. I felt his lips moving down my neck to my collarbone. One of his hands left my hips and came to the top of my shirt. He unbuttoned the first button, but paused and waited for my reaction. Now probably would have been a good time to stop.

_Second button…_

His lips traveled lower to the newly exposed skin.

_Third button…_

Even lower. My hands grabbed onto his hair involuntarily, when I felt warmth and smoothness make contact with the top of my chest, dangerously close to my bra.

He was moving on to the fourth button when my common sense decided to make an appearance. I pushed him back slightly.

"Wait." I gasped.

"What is it? Are you alright?" His eyes were still dark, a telltale sign of his want, but his voice had a slight worried tone.

"Yeah I'm fine." I rushed to assured him. "I'm just not ready for… _that_." The look of understanding flashed across his face, something I was grateful for. I really did not want to have to go into detail and spell it out for him.

"Hey…" He tilted my chin so that I was looking directly into his eyes. "I know… and I'm not pushing you or anything. When ever you think we're going too far, tell me to stop and I will. _Every_ time. No matter how far we've gotten. Okay?" His words were comforting, but it didn't take away the slight embarrassment I felt in that moment.

I gave him a nod and small smile.

" I should probably get off you now." I laughed.

His trademark smirk was back. "You know… I don't think I mind."

"Yeah? Well I do. I can't just stay straddling you all night." My eyes widened as soon as the words left my mouth. I should have chosen my words more carefully.

He looked like he was about to say some kinds of objection to my statement, so I quickly silenced him with a chaste kiss.

"Do. Not. Say it." I warned, as I lifted myself off of him.

He just smiled and laid down on the bed, but kept his thoughts to himself. Something that was very difficult for a guy like him.

I let out a small yawn and looked at the time. Barely eight o'clock. It was a school night and I had to be back home by ten. I could maybe get away with ten thirty if my mother was in a good mood.

"I should get going." I said tiredly.

"Yeah you probably should…" He said, but grabbed onto my wrist and pulled me towards him. I landed by his side.

"Alek, I'm serious. I'm barely awake right now." It was then that I noticed how comfortable his bed was. "And your bed isn't making it easy to stay awake."

It was a mistake to close my eyes. The whole concept of "_Oh I'm just going to rest my eyes for a second." _was complete and utter bull. It was a lie we tell our minds when we know that we shouldn't get comfortable, because it will undoubtedly lead to sleep.

Alek's slight chuckle was the last thing I heard before I drifted off…

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><p>Alek's POV<p>

I opened my eyes and looked up at the ceiling. It was still dimly lit. I didn't think anything of the situation and almost went back to sleep, but then I felt something warm and slightly heavy on my chest. It rustled, but then went back to being still.

I didn't have to glance down to know what it was…in this case, who it was.

Chloe.

Trying my best not to wake her, I moved the arm that wasn't wrapped around her waist to my back pocket and pulled out my phone, checking the time.

2:15AM

_Fucking hell._

I ran a frustrated hand through my hair and was just about to figure out how to get us out of this mess, when I heard a throat clear.

My eyes snapped to the doorway and were met by the furious ones of Valentina.

I glanced back down at Chloe and noticed that her shirt was still unbuttoned, exposing her lace bra to both Valentina and I.

"Alek…" She started out calmly. "would you care to explain what I am looking at right now?" When she noticed my lack of explanation, she went on. "I already have Jasmine's careless indiscretions to worry about, I don't need yours. _You_ of all people should know better." Her tone was icy.

She gave me one more stone cold glare before leaving the room.

Her words had hit a nerve, one that I know she intentionally meant to. It brought me back to a dark place. One that I never wished to return to. Ever. The fact that she brought up my past infuriated me, but she was right. I did know first hand what happened when you allowed yourself to become distracted.

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><p><strong>What do you think? I was going to make it longer, but that felt like a good place to end it. <strong>

**As many of you may know, the show was cancelled. I was beyond pissed... but I am not giving up on this story. I'll just have to take it in my own direction completely. In fact I was watching the Vampire Diaries when an idea hit me (don't worry twilight/VD haters there will be none involved in this story) It's just an idea and I'm not even sure if I'll use it... but it definitely has potential.**

**QUESTION 1: Be honest, how many of you thought Chloe was going to give it up, right then and there, on Aleks bed? Hmm?**

**QUESTION 2: What are you being for Halloween? It was no easy task, but I managed to find a decent (aka non-slutty) version of Little Red Riding Hood :)**

**I want to say that I'll have another chapter next weekend, but I don't like making promises I might not keep :(**

**I'm in the college admissions process... bear with me :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Don't forget to leave a review. I work hard on these chapters :)**

**Note: Someone said they were a little confused. Just to clear things up, Valentina got home long before Alek realized she was there. (This will make sense after you read) Hope this helps.**

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><p>I placed my keys on the kitchen counter and walked into the living room.<p>

It was empty.

That was strange to say the least. My mother always stayed up and waited for me to get home. When ever I'd come home, I could usually find her finishing up property contracts or curled up on the couch watching one of those sappy romance movies.

I listened for a second, and heard nothing but that low hum of silence. I finally decided that she had to be upstairs. Maybe she was having a bad day or something. I exited the living room and walked back to the foyer, heading toward the stairs.

When I was finally upstairs, I walked towards the hallway leading to my mothers room. The door was slightly ajar and I could have sworn I heard a light creaking sound.

_She has to be up here._

"Hey mom I just got home." I called.

No answer.

The silence made me pause when I reached her door. She had to have heard me.

"Mom?" I tried again, placing my palm against the door and pushing slowly.

The room was dark and I couldn't really see anything until my vision adjusted. My eyes dilated far beyond a human's normal capability and I saw everything clearly. My mother was nowhere in site and from what I could tell, the room was completely empty.

Then my site landed on the bed and I nearly screamed.

He placed a finger to his lips before I could let out a sound, so I settled for a quiet hitch of my breath. I could not believe this. There sitting on the edge of the bed, was the last person I thought I would ever see again.

"Dad?" I asked astonished.

"Yeah it's me." He nodded and smiled.

I was at a loss for words. This couldn't be real. Could it?

He got up suddenly and stood in front of me. "Listen, I don't have much time." He looked over his shoulder as he said this. I hadn't seen him in almost ten years, but it was obvious that he was on edge.

"Dad… what are you talking about? Where's mom? Where have you been?" My questions came out rushed, but I had to know.

He sighed and smiled apologetically. "I don't have time to explain right now, but your mothers fine. She's having some "convenient" car trouble. It was the only way I could see you. If your mother saw me, it would only complicate things." He explained.

I shook my head, not understanding at all. "Dad… you're not making any sense."

"I know… I know, but I had to tell you… to warn you." Taking both of my hands in his, he looked me directly in the eyes. "Don't be fooled. Listen to what your instincts tell you, not your eyes. Listen to your heart." He urged.

"Okay." I said and I meant it. "But it's obvious that you're going to disappear again, so I have to know. What happened to you?"

He looked torn, but finally sighed and opened his mouth to speak.

_"Chloe wake up."_ He glanced up at the sound of the echoing voice.

"It's time to go." He whispered.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

_"Come on Chloe, we have to go."_

Before I could say another word, I felt myself being shaken. My eyes fluttered open slowly and they were met with Alek's hazel ones. He looked as if he was tense too.

"What's with you?" I asked, voice still groggy.

"Take a look around." He said.

Why was everybody being so cryptic. First in my dreams, now reality too? I looked behind him and instantly noticed the same view from before, only this time much darker and without the city lights.

My eyes instantly widened. Oh. My. God.

_No…no…no. _

All hope went out the window when I saw the time.

2:21A.M.

I groaned loudly and buried my face in the pillow. After coming to terms with the fact that I was the very epitome of _screwed_, I sat up and faced him.

"Remind me… how many lives do I have left? Because I am so dead when I get home."

This made him crack a slight crooked smile. If I weren't in such deep shit, I might actually let myself be effected by it.

" You're not "dead", but we do need to get you home. We'll come up with an excuse on the way."

I could already picture my mothers angry face. If she was starting to lose her trust in me before, then this was sure to make it nonexistent. I couldn't believe I let this happen. I couldn't believe the both of us let this happen. To make matters worse, it was a school night… or should I say school morning.

I got off the bed and started heading toward the door. "Okay, let's go." There was no point in putting off the inevitable.

Alek grabbed my wrist before I could get very far and cleared his throat. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

I glanced around the room, but couldn't figure out what he was talking about. When I had my little chat with Valentina, I left my bag and jacket on the couch.

He rolled his eyes and leaned closer. " I personally don't think there's anything _indecent _about your outfit… but I have a feeling that others might disagree. Your call." He smirked, eyeing my chest shamelessly.

It was then that I realized my shirt was still unbuttoned. I didn't blush easily, but once again, he found a way of causing me to. I could feel the heat make its way onto my cheeks.

"And you couldn't have told me sooner?" I asked sarcastically, rushing to button up my shirt.

"I guess I was enjoying the view." He teased, effectively earning him a pointed look.

When I looked myself over and decided that I was finally _decent_, I made my way over to the door only to be stopped again.

"What now?" I asked, a little annoyed.

"Long story short, Valentina saw you and she's probably out there waiting for us."

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, they do. A few hours ago she had been showing her obvious disappointment in Jasmine's recent _distraction_. If she considered Jasmine's innocent dates a distraction, I could only imagine what she would say about this.

"I'm ready if you are. No point in hiding out in here all night." I said confidently, but honestly that didn't sound like a bad idea…

He didn't say anything, but walked ahead of me and opened the door. He leaned against it and motioned for me to pass.

When we made it to the kitchen, I wasn't surprised to see her sitting on one of the stools, coffee mug in hand. Lips pressed together firmly in a line.

"Sit." She said curtly.

I thought it would be best to just do what she said, and let her do most of the talking. Right now, that seemed like my best, if not, only option.

"You know, your mothers probably losing her mind wondering where you are…" She said, not meeting my eyes. "or at least she would be, had I not called her four hours ago."

"You called… my mother?" I gulped. I could deal with my mother if she didn't know the whole story, but if Valentina had told her that I was with Alek… how could I explain that?

"Yes and I told her that Jasmine was having a hard time with something. I told her I couldn't go into details, but that you were helping her cope and I promised her you were safe." She explained.

I didn't know whether to be relieved or not. I mean I had a cover story, but what did this mean? Shouldn't she be livid right now and lecturing us about _this _what ever the hell we were, being a risk?

"Look I know-" She put a hand up to stop me.

"It's late. I'm tired, and you two have school in a few hours. We will discuss this another time, but we _will _discuss this." She said getting up and placing her mug in the sink. "There's really no point in taking you home. Alek can take you in the morning to change."

I simply gave her a nod of understanding.

She turned to face him. "Remember what I told you." With that, she was gone.

I didn't understand what she meant by that, but whatever it was, it definitely had an effect on him. I could see his jaw tense and his eyes narrowed slightly. I decided against asking him what that whole exchange was about.

When his eyes met mine, his features visibly relaxed. But I could tell that it was forced.

"Look's like you're stuck with me." He grinned, grabbing my hand and leading me toward his room again. I stopped him.

"Do you really think that's such a good idea?" I warned.

"Chloe, she's going to be angry regardless. It doesn't really matter now." He shrugged.

I was a bit apprehensive, but followed him. I began to feel a little awkward when we were back in the room. This was new to me. I didn't really know how this worked. Until tonight, I had never fallen asleep with a guy before, and that was an accident. This time it felt different.

I glanced down at my clothes and Alek seemed to notice my dilemma.

He walked over to his dresser and pulled out a white t-shirt and after a while of searching, a pair of dark sweatpants with our school name on them.

"Here, these are from freshman year. They shouldn't be too big on you." He said motioning to the pants.

I gave him a quick thanks and made my way to the bathroom out in the hall. The cotton shirt came down to the middle of my thigh, but the pants weren't too bad. They stayed up, let's put it that way. Even in ninth grade, Alek wasn't scrawny at all.

I had to improvise when brushing my teeth, but refused to not do so. That would just be gross. Instead I put some tooth paste on my index finger and did the best I could.

When I got back into the room, he wasn't there. I figured he must have went to the other bathroom to get ready.

As much as I wanted to wait for him, my eyes were growing heavier, so I got into bed on my own. It felt even better when I was under the covers. I smiled and snuggled into the pillow.

A few minutes later I heard the door open and close. I heard a slight chuckle and then felt the bed dipping.

I turned to face him and noticed that he was smirking. "Couldn't wait to get into my bed I see." He winked.

It took a lot of self control to not be distracted by the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt anymore. Two thoughts ran through my head.

_Damn, you missed an opportunity to get a look _and _Is he trying to kill me here? _

I gave him a playful glare, and shut my eyes. I was too tired to deal with his smartass comments. Not to mention, I had a strange urge to kiss the hell out of him. With my luck, someone would walk in mid make out.

Just as my breathing was starting to even out, he spoke softly.

"Feels good doesn't it?"

"What feels good?" I mumbled sleepily, keeping my eyes closed.

He placed an arm around my waist and pulled me closer.

"To know you're not crazy." He whispered in my ear and kissed my neck lightly.

He didn't need to say anything else. I knew exactly what he meant. It did feel good to know that all of these weird feelings were double sided. I don't think I could deal with it alone. Although that was settled, my fathers words still had me feeling uneasy.

_"Don't be fooled. Listen to what your instincts tell you, not your eyes. Listen to your heart."_

Now I had two things to figure out. My dreams had a tendency of having deeper meanings. Some even came true, so what the hell did my dad mean when he told me to not be _fooled_. By who? And secondly, what was that between Alek and Valentina. What ever she was referring to seemed to have an effect on him. I knew I would figure out both in due time, so I stopped thinking, pressed myself closer to him, and let sleep overtake me.

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><p><strong>Week two of updating. Let's see how long I can keep this up.<strong>

**As the writer, I can tell you that if what I have planned in my head makes its way into the story... things are about to get GOOD! ;)**

**No questions this week. Just be sure to leave a review telling me what you thought :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**In case you were wondering, I'm not dead... just incredibly stressed out. There needs to be more time in the day. **

**Once again, I am SO sorry.**

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><p><strong>WARNING: There is some violence in this chapter. More specifically, blood and death. I personally don't think it is that bad at all, but I am also the girl who laughs at horror movie deaths when they are not realistic enough... so my opinion's not the most reliable. So even though I think this warning is unnecessary, I am just giving you a friendly heads up.<strong>

**Enjoy :)**

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><p>The following morning wasn't nearly as awkward as I'd imagined it would be. I was dreading that inevitable run-in with Valentina, or worse Jasmine. Now that would be uncomfortable.<p>

Luckily, neither one of them was around when we headed out the door. There was a set of keys on the counter. Alongside it, a note written in elegant script. I didn't need to read it to know it was from Valentina, and judging from the look on Alek's face after he set it down, she apparently threatened death if anything happened to her car.

I had never seen anyone's face lose color that quickly.

When we got down to the parking garage, I suddenly understood.

"What the hell is it?" I asked.

"Bugatti Veyron" He said simply.

I nodded as if that was supposed to mean something.

"Looks like the most expensive car in the world." I joked.

"It is." He shrugged.

This wasn't just a car. It would be an insult to refer to this thing as simply a _car_. Usually when cars are two colors it looks tacky, but like a said, this wasn't a regular car. The scarlet red on the sides complimented the sleek black perfectly. There was only one word to describe it.

Sexy.

Who knew Valentina had a thing for hot cars?

Alek's chuckle broke me out of my thoughts. Apparently I had said that last part aloud.

"No wonder you turned into Casper back there." He snorted at my comparison.

"Yeah, it is quite something." He said, unlocking the doors.

"Are you kidding me?" I scoffed. "I'm afraid to sit in it, let alone drive it."

He rolled his eyes and walked over to my door, opening it and motioning inside.

"Get in the car King."

I did as he said, but not before muttering something about British people being so demanding. I gasped when after a small battle with my seatbelt, I came face to face with a smirking Alek. He had that devilish glint in his eyes. Not a good sign.

"Technically, I'm Russian _Love_." Even with his lips only an inch from my face, I was standing strong, but then he had to go and put special emphasis on _Love_. Alone that word is swoon worthy, but add the accent… I was floored.

He looked like he was about to kiss me, but pulled back at the last minute and closed my door. I could see him grinning through the windshield.

I should have known.

Alek never used the word "Love", not around me at least. He wasn't like every cliché movie character from the U.K. The ones who, when speaking to a girl, threw the word out every other sentence. So, I was now certain of two things.

1) He did that shit on purpose.

2) I am such a girl sometimes.

When he revved the engine, I gave him a small scowl at his antics. It was meaningless though. If I were being honest with myself, it made him look even better behind the wheel. And he looked good.

Something told me we were both aware of that fact.

By _something_, I meant that little smirk of his, which seemed to be permanently plastered onto his face.

I decided to keep quiet for most of the drive home. Speaking was not a wise idea right now.

We pulled up to my house fifteen minutes later. I thanked him and told him I would meet him at school. I was debating whether to kiss him or not, but he made my mind up for me when he pulled me in, pressing his lips to mine.

I pulled away before he could deepen it. Trust me, I would much rather make out with him all day, but I had half an hour to get ready, avoid my mom, and make it to school.

"Tempting, but I'm going to have to take a rain check." I said regretfully.

He didn't look too pleased, but nodded in understanding and let me go. I could feel his eyes on me as I walked up the front steps.

As I shut the front door behind me, I could hear the car pulling away. I smiled to myself at the sweet gesture. I know it is his job to protect me, but I also know that's not the reason he lingered. Knowing that, gave me a strange feeling inside.

My smile faded as soon as I remembered where I was and what waited for me within the house. More specifically… who was waiting for me. This whole gaining of my moms trust and keeping it was not working out for me. A parent can only take so much before they confront you. In my case, confront you _again_. Something told me that failing to come home, without calling personally would do it for her.

Teenagers say this phrase all the time, and while I hate to follow the crowd…

_Fuck my life… well, my current one anyway. _

I walk into the kitchen hesitantly, half expecting to find my mother sitting in there. Unhappy look, usual coffee mug in hand. When I find it empty, I'm both relieved and unsettled. My most recent dream flashes in my mind.

As soon as I spot a piece of paper on the counter, I quickly brush those feelings aside.

_Chloe,_

_I have an early meeting with the contractors of the property. The only reason we're not having a talk right this moment is because I have a two hour drive ahead of me, but don't for one second think that we won't. I'll see you tonight. Love you._

Hopefully, if nothing else went wrong, I would see my mother later.

Glancing at the clock, I realized that I couldn't waste anymore time. I hurried upstairs and took a quick shower.

One thing to know about my hair… it does not cooperate on most occasions, especially if water is concerned. This morning I gave up and decided that braided pigtails were my best bet. I was just finishing up my last braid when my ears picked up a sound from downstairs.

A key turning in the lock.

I smiled. Typical mom. I'll bet she was halfway there before realizing she was forgetting something crucial.

"What did you forget this time?" I called, twisting the hair tie one final time around.

Silence.

I straightened up and listened closely.

Click.

As far as she knew, I wasn't even home. Why would she close the door so quietly? Besides, it's already quarter to eight. I should be halfway out the door by now.

The answer to my question was simple.

She wouldn't.

I took a deep breath and cleared my mind. Every single training session I'd ever had ran through my head. Moves, defenses, diversions. Everything. If I had any hope of making it out without losing a life, or all of them, I needed to be completely focused.

"Chloe!" A deep voice shouted.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. Aren't attackers supposed to be silent and stealth-like. Is that not how it typically worked?

The voice did not sound taunting or malicious. Weirdly enough, it sounded vaguely familiar. Deep, with a slight roughness to it.

"Chloe!" This time I heard the urgency behind my name.

Was this a trick? I could never be too sure these days.

I crept out of my room slowly and headed toward the stairs. My heart was pounding in my ears. I couldn't tell whether it was adrenaline or fear.

When I reached the top of the stairs, I didn't need to slowly descend them in order to find out who awaited me. He was right there at the bottom.

Blue eyes met mine.

I knew him. He worked for Valentina. That night Alek swore to keep an eye on my mother, he was there. I had seen him a few times since then. Matt… I think his name was Matt.

He looked… relieved to see me.

His mouth opened to speak, but he never got the chance. Out of nowhere, a body came at him hard and he was tackled to the ground.

"Alek?" I said to myself.

Matt tried to get up, but Alek's fist connected with his jaw. I thought he was down for good, but was quickly proven wrong. With a newfound strength, that suddenly decided to make an appearance, he kicked Alek off of him. As soon as both were up, Matt charged at him and they both disappeared from my view.

I heard a loud crash, but at this moment, I wasn't concerned with the amount of trouble I would be in later. That was the last thing on my mind.

I ran down the stairs and followed them. When I reached them, they were both on the ground again, but from the looks of it, both boys had gotten their fair share of hits.

Matt was on top again, and seemed to be gaining control of the fight. He had Alek pinned and brought a hand to his throat, holding him down.

He turned around to look at me. Bloodied face, breathing hard.

"Chloe, listen to me. This is-" His words were cut of by his own gasp of pain.

Shock registered in his eyes and his hand loosened around Alek's neck. I heard the sickening sound of a blade leaving flesh, and grimaced when I heard it enter again. It was pulled out once more and I could see it in his eyes. He was done, and it wouldn't be soon before he was gone.

He rolled off of Alek and collapsed on the floor. He was lying on his back, and it gave me a clear view of the damaged inflicted.

His grey shirt was covered in blood. The wounds were far apart. One on the side of his stomach and the other near his chest, but the growing stain of blood met in the center. A pool of crimson began to seep onto the hardwood.

I took a moment to glance up at his face.

His entire face was pale and he looked as though his breaths were labored. A trail of blood began to slip from the corner of his mouth. He choked and coughed weakly, only to have more of it immerge. Lastly, I looked into his eyes and they were directly on me. I had never seen a pair of strikingly blue eyes look so lifeless. When his gaze could no longer focus on me, they drifted away, now looking up at the ceiling.

I don't know why I did it, but I concentrated on his heartbeat.

_Thump… thump… thump…_

Slowly. Three heartbeats.

_Thump…thump…_

Slower. Two beats.

_Thump…_

Barely there. One beat.

…_Silence._

Gone.

Nothing but silence filled the room. It was unbearably loud.

After taking in a shaky breath, I spoke.

"You… j-just killed him." I breathed.

Alek was sitting on his knees, near the body. His hands were bloodied and the knife was lying right next to him. He brought his eyes up to mine. It was the first time he had looked at me since he'd arrived.

"I'm sorry you had to see that." He said quietly.

I walked towards him slowly.

"But wasn't that Matt?" He nodded. "One of Valentina's men."

He got up suddenly and walked over to the sink.

"Was." He corrected. "Apparently Matty over here decided to go rogue."

His back was to me, as he washed his hands, but his voice sounded so cold and hate filled. He had just killed a man and didn't sound the least bit remorseful. Matt must have done something else to have him acting this way.

"He planned on killing you."

Me? He didn't seem to have murder in his eyes when I first saw him. This did not make sense at all.

Alek turned back to face me as he dried his hands.

"Don't feel bad… he's quite the actor." He nodded towards Matt.

"I'm still in shock from all of this." I said honestly. "You left half an hour ago. How did you know he would be here? Better yet, how did you drive back home and get here so quickly?"

He sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair.

"Look Chloe, I just saved your fucking life. I don't think this sudden third-degree is the best way to thank me." He snapped.

I was taken back by his sudden anger. He never spoke to me that way. It was probably the word choice, but he almost sounded American for a second.

He took note of my expression stepped forward, putting his arms around me and pulling me close.

"Look I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that." He murmured into my hair. "I just get upset when I think about anything happening to you."

I pulled back slightly to look up at him and gave him a reassuring smile.

"I really hate this word but… ditto."

He chuckled brought his mouth to mine. It only lasted a few seconds, but considering the dead body a few feet away, it was more than enough.

Alek's eyes drifted to the clock on the wall and he cursed under his breath.

"We need to go." He said seriously, all previous humor now vanished.

He grabbed my hand and headed towards the door. I made him stop once we reached it.

"I mean this in the nicest way… are you out of your fucking mind!" I bellowed.

He brought a hand over my mouth. "No, I'm perfectly sane. Are you, or do you plan on doing everything you can to get the neighbors attention?"

I narrowed my eyes and he removed his hand.

"There is a _dead body _in the middle of my kitchen." I whispered slowly and harshly.

"Yeah, I am aware of that." He said. "I talked to Valentina myself. That's how I found out about him. She planned on this happening and is sending someone to take care of it. They'll be here any moment." He explained.

I just stared at him.

"As you've probably noticed, she has connections. By the time your mother gets home, the only noticeable thing in that kitchen will be the leaking faucet." I should have been reassured, but I wasn't.

Something was not right, and he wasn't telling me everything.

"Alek." I pressed.

He cupped my cheek.

"I'll explain it on the way." He promised softly.

I didn't like not knowing what was going on, but considering Alek's urgency, I knew we did not have time to waste. So without another word I followed him out the door and got into the awaiting car.

As we turned onto the next road at the end of my block, I asked him a crucial question.

"So, since we're obviously not headed for school… where the hell are we going?"

With one hand on the wheel, he turned his head towards me and smirked. As we approached Van Ness Avenue, he returned his eyes to the road and his smirk grew into a grin.

"New York City."

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><p><strong>*Uncovers eyes* So... do I still have it as a writer, or have I been away for far too long, thus losing all writing ability and creativity?<strong>

**QUESTION: How many of you were expecting that last part?**

**You don't need to read this, but it will explain a few things concerning updates:**

**Right off the bat, I'll be honest. It's getting harder to write without the motivation of the weekly episodes (still pissed) and I haven't read the books. But again, I haven't given up! Considering the fact that school starts up again this Monday, I'm not going to promise another chapter. It may be a while again... it might not. This is my last semester of high school (aka crunch time). I need to keep up my grades and enjoy all those end of the year things. If you've graduated, you know what I mean. I'm probably never seeing many of these people ever again :( Hopefully you understand. **

**But to end on a brighter note... HAPPY FUCKING NEW YEAR! **


	15. Chapter 15

**I don't know why, but this is one of my favorite chapters. Hope you feel the same.**

**Enjoy and review :)**

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><p>"I'm sorry, w-what did you just say?" I sputtered.<p>

He let out an annoyed sigh but kept his eyes on the road.

"New York." He repeated. "We're going to New York."

Impulsiveness and unpredictability were among Alek's strongest traits. I have known that from the moment he almost kissed me in the hallway, but this, this was just ridiculous. It didn't make any sense. What possible reason could he have to drag me to the other side of the country?

"Oh great," I said sarcastically "so I'm not imagining it… you really are out of your fucking mind."

He pushed his foot on the accelerator, causing my back to slam against the leather seat.

"Chloe, trust me, if you cooperate it will be easier for all of us." His tone was calm, but his words caused a giant red light to flash in my head.

"Cooperate?" I narrowed my eyes at his profile. He was still not looking at me, something Alek would never do.

"Stop the car."

He finally brought his eyes to mine, briefly, and shook his head in response.

"Stop the car, Alek." I said more firmly.

The car sped up and my heart rate followed suit.

"Stop the fucking car, Alek!" I shouted.

He let out a frustrated sigh. "I really didn't want to have to do this."

I didn't even get a chance to get a single word out, before I felt a sudden prick on my arm. When my eyes lowered to the source of the pain, they were met with a syringe. Whatever it was was strong. I felt the effects almost immediately. Everything seemed to be moving slower, even my own breathing. The noise of the car, sounded as though it were far away. My eyes began to feel heavy, and the next thing I knew, everything went away.

When I finally regained consciousness, I was immediately aware of a constant hum in my ears. I opened my eyes slowly and took in my surroundings. The small rectangular windows were what first caught my eye. As I looked above me I saw the white rounded ceiling and glossy wooden paneling. In front of me, there were two beige leather chairs on either side of the chestnut carpeted isle.

That was when I listened closely to the droning sound. It wasn't just an annoying hum, it was the sound of an engine.

A jet plane's engine to be more precise. From the looks of it, I was in a high class airplane cabin and I had no clue how I got here.

I made to get up from my seat quickly, only to be snapped back down. I glanced down at my left wrist, and saw that my worst fear was confirmed.

Handcuffs.

I'll admit, I panicked for a second, but then I remembered exactly _what _I was- _who _I was. Whoever handcuffed me, really didn't think this through. Either that, or they were insanely stupid.

With all the strength I had, I closed my hand into a fist and pulled away from the cuffs. They wouldn't break, and the only thing I earned was a throbbing pain in my wrist. I tried once more and the metal still would not break.

I let out a frustrated huff and closed my eyes.

"Not having much luck, huh?"

Both my head and eyes snapped to my right. There, lounging casually in his seat, was a smirking Alek. It looked like Alek, anyway. Physically, everything about him was the same. The hair, eye color, even his face was identical. But something in his eyes made me feel as though I were staring directly into a mirage.

This wasn't him, not the person I had become so close with. Not the person I had come to trust with my life, every last one of them.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked.

He studied my face for a moment and then stood up.

"Funny you should ask that," He pointed a finger in my direction. "but are you sure you're asking the right person?"

He was being cryptic, and I couldn't understand why. If he really wasn't the person I thought he was, why not just come out and say it. If it was all just an act, it shouldn't matter what I thought of him.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

He walked toward the front of the cabin and called out for someone "Hey, Char."

A few moments later, a tall raven haired woman emerged from the polyester curtains. She gave me a once-over, disinterest clear in her dark eyes, and returned her attention to Alek.

"May I get you anything?" She offered seductively, dragging her manicured fingers along the front of his shirt.

I finally took note of her outfit. A black little number made of leather. It was one of the shortest mini dresses I had ever seen in my life. There was a silver zipper on the front. It started in the center of her stomach and ended at her cleavage. Only one word came to mind.

Slut.

"Yeah, actually you could. Get me a glass of Bourbon will you?" He removed her hand from his chest and she pouted.

"Sure thing," She smiled, and then looked at him apprehensively. "but why are you tal-"

He put a finger to her lips and cut her off. " Ah.. Ah… I haven't told her yet."

She giggled and nodded, disappearing again behind the curtain.

"So you drink now." I said dryly.

He turn around to face me and seemed amused by my choice of words.

"I've been drinking since I was fourteen." He said matter-of-factly.

I scoffed. "Well I guess there's a lot I didn't know about you then."

My increasing anger only seemed to amuse him even more. He gave me a tight lipped smile and was struggling to keep in a laugh. It was obviously a losing battle for him, but luckily for him, "_Char"_ returned with his drink.

He took it from her hand and gave her a nod in thanks, but she remained were she was. Glaring at me. When he realize that she was still standing there, he spoke.

"Thank you, Charlotte, you can go now." She intensified her glare and pouted again, but did as he said and left.

Alek shook his head and took a swig of his drink. "You sleep with a girl one fucking time, and they think they're entitled to a wedding ring."

As soon as the words left his lips, everything stopped. It felt like time froze for a second. It had nothing to do with _what _he said, but _how_ he said it.

The English accent I had come to know, love, and hate, all at the same time, was nowhere to be found. The way he said his words, sounded like any other regular American.

He took another drink and did a double take when he saw my widened eyes.

"What?" He chuckled.

"Your voice… it's…" I breathed.

His brows furrowed in confusion, but then he laughed. "Oh, well shit… opps?" He offered, still laughing.

Before I could fight them back, tears brimmed my eyes. I typically like to think of myself as a strong person, but the past few months finally took its toll on me. This was my breaking point.

"Was it all a lie then?" I asked bitterly. "Everything?"

He strode back to the seat beside me and sat down, facing me.

"Oh god… you still think I'm him." He said thoughtfully.

He set his drink down and rested his forearms on his thighs, inclining his body towards me.

"I may be the farthest thing from a saint, but I'm certainly not that heartless… how about I put you out of your misery. Seeing is believing after all."

I gave him a confused look. He was being cryptic again. At this point, I didn't even care how much the truth hurt me… I needed to know.

"Char," He called, still keeping his eyes firmly on mine. "bring me a mirror ."

She came out with a small mirror in her hand and held it up for him. He looked into the mirror and pulled at the skin below his left eye. He then brought his other hand up and put a finger directly on his eye, sliding a contact lens out easily. He did the same with the other eye, before dismissing Charlotte.

"I personally like this look a whole lot better." She said before strutting out of the cabin.

When she had entered, he turned his body slightly away from mine, so I could only see his profile as he removed the contacts. But now, when he faced me again, I was met by a striking pair of sapphire blue eyes. I gasped involuntarily.

This couldn't be possible… could it? He looked just like Alek, but he couldn't be his brother. Identical twins had identical eyes, and the guy right next to me definitely did not have Alek's warm eyes. Not even close. His were a deep shade of blue, as deep as they come. It was then that I noticed his hair, you could hardly tell the difference unless he were under direct light, but it was subtly darker. Slightly dirtier than Alek's blonde shade.

I was still at a loss for words. This could not be happening. Right?

"You must be confused." He guessed. "I should probably fill in the blanks, huh?"

I wanted to be disgusted and unable to look at him. Hell, I should have been, but I couldn't stop staring at his eyes. It was strange. A few moments ago, I was looking into Alek's eyes, or at least I thought I was, and now, I was looking into a completely different persons eyes. A stranger with a familiar face.

"_Don't be fooled. Listen to what your instincts tell you, not your eyes. Listen to your heart."_

Note to self: Don't ignore your dreams.

I felt both betrayal and relief. Betrayal, because even though I didn't know him, he obviously didn't have my best interests in mind. Relief, because the person who did want to hurt me wasn't Alek. For those few minutes that I still believed it was him, I felt absolutely heartbroken. I thought everything he ever told me was nothing but an act.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"The name's Dimitre," He replied. "and in case you're wondering, yes, it's Russian." He whispered.

Russian? He kept putting the pieces together. Everything pointed to the same thing, but it just didn't add up.

"What's your last name?" I felt like I already knew the answer, but I needed to hear him say it.

"I think you already know, Chloe." He smirked.

"Say it." I gritted out.

He raised an eyebrow at my tone of voice. "Petrov. Dimitre Petrov. Happy now?"

I closed my eyes and shook my head in denial.

"That can't be. Your eyes… how is that even possible?" I asked with disbelief evident in each word spoken.

"It's simple really." He shrugged. " Alek's my brother, but it's different with Mai. When Mai have twins, they each have a different shade of eyes. Sometimes the hair too, but that's usually rare. In all honesty, Mai don't really like to have twins… I mean don't get me wrong, they'll love them just as much, but it's something that most generally hope to avoid."

"Why?" I wondered.

"Well, there's this ancient Mai legend." He explained. "The story goes, that thousands of years ago, during ancient times but after the break between humans and Mai, there was a king. Not only was he Mai, but he was desperate for a male heir. His wife had already given him three daughters, and he loved them all, but you know how things were back then. Without a son, he was essentially worthless. So when his wife discovered she was pregnant again, he announced it to his people with great pride. He was happy, but he knew this was his last chance. Every night, he prayed to Bastet and asked her for a son. Nine months later, his prayers were answered. Not once, but twice. His wife gave birth to _two_ healthy male heirs."

"That doesn't sound terrible at all." I pointed out.

He nodded. "You're right. And it wasn't… at first. But it was clear from the moment they were born. They may have been twins, but they were nothing alike. Trinnean was born with dark eyes, some people said they were black as night. His brother, Callan, was born with bright grey eyes. Up until then, this had never happened before and the king took it as a blessing… man was he wrong. As the boys grew, so did their animosity towards one another. They fought constantly, over women, wealth, and most of all, the right to the crown. On the night of their twentieth birthday, the king announced that he would be handing over the crown to one of his sons. Later, once the guests had left, he called the boys to his chamber. He gave this long speech about the importance of brotherhood and to not allow noble titles to come between blood. He told them that they were both fine young men, but that he had to choose one. In the end, he chose Callan. Trinnean said nothing as he left the chamber. He was completely calm… that should have been a warning. That night, the palace guards heard piercing screams from inside. By the time they made it to the kings bedroom, both he and his wife were dead. Stabbed to death. They soon discovered that all three daughters were dead too. Each room seemed to be bloodier than the last, and then they reached prince Callan's room."

"Let me guess… dead too?"

"Yep, but that wasn't what shocked the guards when they entered the room. There standing over his body, was his own brother Trinnean. Covered in blood and with a grin on his face. He had a sadistic glint in his dark eyes. He only said one thing as the guards asked him _why_.

" It looks as though noble titles did come between blood, don't you agree, brother?" It was the last words he ever spoke, before slicing his own throat." He finished.

"Okay… tragic story, great movie plotline, but why do Mai avoid having twins?"

"It's a superstition really," He clarified. "Some people believe that whole twin prophecy bullshit. You know, one good… one evil."

I snorted. "Funny how that turned out…"

"Yeah, well… I guess you can blame it on my rough upbringing." He said somewhat angrily.

I looked at him strangely, not quite understanding what he meant.

"Alek grew up in London, I didn't. That's all you need to know right now." He said offhandedly, glancing away from me.

I suddenly remembered the cuffs and my lack of success with them.

"Why can't I break these?" I motioned to them with my head.

"Abkhazian Moonstone." Was his answer. "When it enters the bloodstream, it's like Kryptonite for Mai."

"So my powers…" I thought out loud.

"Virtually useless for…" He glanced down at his watch. "at least fifteen more hours."

This was bad. Very bad. Without my abilities, I was as good as dead. I briefly wondered if it affected my ability to come back to life, but then pushed the thought away. It was to frightening to consider.

When I returned my eyes to him, I was met by a pair of piercing eyes. I could almost swear they were smirking too.

"You look tense." He said with mock worry. "We're almost there though, and I think there's someone you'll be happy to see."

He sucked in a break of air, as though he'd made a mistake. "Oh… there I go again, giving away spoiler's before you've gotten a chance to see the movie." He smirked. "My bad."

I scowled at him, but on the inside, I was freaking out. Without my powers, I couldn't defend myself at all. If I didn't die in the next twenty four hours… it would be a fucking miracle.

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><p><strong>You can thank my AP Gov. teacher for this one. His wife read one of my personal essays and said my writing style reminded her of a famous author. Then he told me that from what he's read, he could tell I was well on my way to being published lol. I couldn't not write after hearing that :) <strong>

**_DIMITRE PICTURE_:**

**I would really love to hear your feedback on this one. If you'd like to see what Dimitre looks like, go to my Tumblr (Links on my profile). Keep in mind, I don't have photoshop and did that in about ten minutes.**

**Remember when I said things are about to get good? ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Once again sorry for the wait... but the good news is my hard work paid off. I've already received two college acceptance letters w/ scholarships! Plus I've still been coping with that devastating & heartbreaking Superbowl loss :'( (Yes, I'm originally from the east coast) Ehh what ever... Brady is still hotter than Eli any given day of the week :P**

**Lol, anyway, back to the saga that is Chloe King. Really think you guys will like this one ;)**

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!**

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><p>After hearing everything he had said, I refused to close my eyes. If it were up to me, I wouldn't even allow myself to blink in his presence. I didn't trust him. At all. I didn't think he would kill me, not just yet anyway. If that were his main goal, he could have done that back in San Francisco. Why go through all this trouble?<p>

But while I was convinced he wouldn't kill me, something told me that he was still dangerous. Something about his eyes when he looked at me, told me he would hurt me if need be.

It was strange, aside from striking eyes and a barely noticeable darker shade of blonde hair, his face was still identical to Alek's. I never in a million years thought I would look at his face and feel fear. Fear for what awaited me when we landed and fear for what he might do to me, if given a reason.

But I had to remember… this was not Alek. Even when he was pretending to be his brother, something in the back of my mind told me there was something off about him. Now, I wish I had listened. I should have paid more attention to what my dad said.

The plane jolted slightly, and I glanced over to see Dimitre standing up. He had a cell phone to his ear and seemed to be finishing up a conversation. I looked out the window and noticed the plane getting closer and closer to a landing strip.

"Yeah, just got here. Right on schedule." The person on the other line said something that made him laugh. "I'm sure she'll be happy to see him too."

He looked directly at me as he said this.

"Alright. Bye." He snapped the phone shut and placed it in his back pocket.

He walked towards my seat and pulled out something small. I couldn't make out what it was at first, but it must have been made of metal. It shined as it caught the ceiling lights.

He squatted down in front of me and dangled a chain in front of me. That's when I realized it was a key he was holding.

"I'm going to unlock those," He motioned toward the handcuffs. "but I'm trusting that you won't do anything stupid."

I glared at him. "What makes you think I won't fight back and kick your ass the second I feel my powers coming back?" I spat.

He chuckled darkly and shook his head. "I don't."

"And you're still going to uncuff me?" I asked warily.

"Yeah," He shrugged. "because I happen to have someone you care about, and all I have to do is make one phone call and they're dead."

"Who?"

He smirked. "That Chloe… I don't have to tell you. You're going to have to wait to find out."

Even though I was in an incredibly dangerous situation, I couldn't help myself, I scoffed and laughed in his face.

"So let me get this straight, you expect me to just play along, without fighting back, all to save someone… and you refuse to tell me who?"

"As a matter of fact, that is _exactly _what I expect you to do." I frowned. All joking was aside, the amusement in his face was now gone and his voice took on a venomous tone. "I don't have to tell you whose life I'm threatening. I don't have to tell you a _damn _thing, because as soon as we get off this plane, we're going to see them. It's up to you though. Are we going to see a living person… or a dead body surrounded in a pool of its own blood?"

I swallowed thickly.

He placed both hands on the armrests of my seat, and leaned forward.

"I really don't think you're stupid Chloe… don't prove me wrong." He whispered in my ear, using a voice so deadly that I almost shivered.

I looked away from him and thought about my options. He could be bluffing for all I knew. There could be nobody waiting for me in New York, no one I cared about anyway. It might all just be a ploy to get me to cooperate. But then again… he might be telling the truth. He said we'd be seeing them. Dead or alive. I don't think I could look at a dead body, knowing I was the one who caused their death. On the phone he had said _he_. Although, he could have been talking about the person who asked to have me taken.

What if it was my mom? Amy or Paul. Most unlikely of all, but still a possibility… what if the person he threatened was my father? I haven't seen him in ten years, and maybe I was finally about to discover why.

In that moment, I decided that I wouldn't do anything reckless. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to them, to any of them.

"Okay." I agreed.

He smiled. "Good choice."

He slid the key in and the cuff loosened around my wrist. I grimaced and brought it up to my other hand, doing my best to massage the pain away. I hadn't realized how sore it was until just now.

"Shall we?" He stood up and offered me his hand, and I refused to take it.

When I stood up, I had expected him to step back or at least move slightly, but he didn't. He remained standing in the exact same spot, peering down at me with a smirk on his face. We were too close, but I had nowhere to go. I could feel the seat touching the back of my legs. It was either stand my ground or sit back down. I didn't want him to see how uncomfortable he was making me so I stared back at him.

"I can see why my brother's so infatuated with you. You certainly are something to look at…" His eyes ran down my body and he chuckled. "feisty too."

"Well," I started. "if you were actually a decent human being, I might have been flattered by that."

He didn't look offended at all. If my comment had any negative effect on him, he didn't let it show. In fact, it only made his smirk open up into a broad smile.

"Oh, Chloe… I think I like you. You and I are going to get along just fine."

I didn't ask him what he meant by that. In all honesty, I didn't really care.

"Come on, don't want to keep them waiting." He grabbed my wrist and led me behind him.

On my way toward the airstairs, I passed Charlotte. She gave me the death glare. I simply rolled my eyes and followed him down the stairs.

_Please, you can have him. No competition coming from here..._

There was a black car waiting for us when we reached the ground. All of the windows were tinted to the darkest shade possible. For a second, I felt like I was trapped in one of those old mobster movies.

Beside the car, stood a sharply dressed man. He was on the short side. Probably no taller than five eight. He looked to be in his late fifties and had a blending of grey and white hair. He even had a receding hairline, if he weren't associated with Dimitre, I might think he looked like a normal and kind man.

"Good to see you again, Mr. Petrov." He greeted Dimitre and smiled warmly at me.

Dimitre smiled at the him. "No need for formalities, Wilson. The boss isn't around."

Wilson laughed, while nodding and opened the car door for us.

"Don't tell him I said this, but I really can't wait until you take over." He joked.

"You and me both."

Dimitre placed his hand on the small of my back and motioned for me to get into the car. I did so without a word.

It was strange to see him acting this way. One minute he's menacing, threatening and completely dangerous. The next, he's all smiles, friendly, and seems to be well liked by everyone.

He slid into the leather seat after speaking with Wilson for a moment.

I must have been staring at him for too long, because he turned towards me and asked.

"What?"

I shook my head dismissively. "Nothing."

As the car took off, headed wherever the hell we were going, I kept my gaze out the darkened window. I wasn't exactly dying for a conversation with the guy to my left. He seemed to have no problem with this, and the car settled into a comfortable silence. Well… as comfortable as could be, with all things considered.

After what felt like thirty minutes, we pulled up to an old brick building.

Before coming to a stop, we had passed through iron gates. I thought nothing of it, but now as I looked at the eerie building, I was a little frightened. This was New York City. Lots of people, but this place was as secluded as you could get in a city as populous as this.

Remember what I said about feeling as though I were in an old mob movie? Well this just took it to a whole new level.

My facial expression must have given me away, because I felt my side being nudged.

"Come on Chloe, no need to be scared. The Uniter's not supposed to get scared." He said with a grin.

"I'm not scared." I lied.

He nodded his head, not believing me for a single second. "Right…right."

Wilson opened my door and I got out, wanting to put as much space between myself and the smartass over there.

I only got my wish for a second, as he followed me out soon after. He pulled out a thick white envelope from his jacket and handed it to Wilson.

Wilson opened the envelope and his brows shot up. "Dimitre this is too much." He tried to hand it back, but Dimitre refused.

"No, take it." He urged. "Look, I know you don't want to do this forever. You've got a son going into med school right?"

He nodded.

"Well then it's settled, use the extra money for that." He said with a smile.

"You know how he is about his money." Wilson said cautiously. "He'll notice that this much is gone. This isn't a small amount… even to him."

Wilson seemed frightened of whoever they were referring to, but Dimitre appeared to be completely unshaken.

"Yeah well… he'll have to take it up with me then." He patted Wilson on the back and walked past me. I followed.

"I don't get you." I said without thinking.

"What's there to get?" He asked, as he punched numbers into the side of the metal door.

I let out a frustrated sigh. "One minute you're this threatening and vengeful guy, the next, you're helping out a man with his son's college fund. I just… don't get it."

He chuckled as the door unlocked. "I guess that makes me a complex guy then."

He pushed the door open and looked over his shoulder. "You coming?"

"Don't really have a choice, now do I?" I said, as I brushed past him.

I gasped. I had only walked in a few feet, but what I saw made my heart nearly stop.

Valentina.

Jasmine.

Worst of all.

Alek.

They were each sitting in a chair, and from the way their hands were behind their backs, they must have been tied up. Each of them had a piece of duct tape covering their mouths.

My eyes locked with Alek's and I couldn't help the tears that were threatening to escape. I whipped around to face Dimitre, narrowing my eyes.

"Why are they here?" I demanded angrily.

He put on an expression of mock surprise. "Chloe, I seriously thought you would be happy to see them. Happy to see _him_ at least."

"It's me!" I cried. "Whoever you're working for… I-It's me they want. They have nothing to do with this. Let them go!" I pleaded.

"They have everything to do with this, Chloe." He said emotionless and walked toward his brother.

Alek was glaring at him intensely.

Seeing them right next to one another, made it even more real. I was almost waiting for myself to wake up. Waiting for this to all be a terrible dream, one I could laugh with Alek about later… too bad it wasn't.

It was real. _He_ was real.

"You're probably dying to get that off, aren't you?" He ripped the tape off, and I could tell it hurt from the hissing sound Alek made.

"Let her go." He gritted out.

"Go?" He asked shocked. "Do you see anybody restraining her? She's free to walk out that door at any time… but I know she won't."

Alek brought his eyes to mine in question.

"Ironically, it's because of you Lover Boy." He smirked. "You want me to let her go, but you're the only thing keeping her here."

"Fuck you." He said in a low voice. Up until this moment, I had never heard Alek's voice sound so deadly. Lethal. It was uncannily like his brother's.

"Alek, we're from the same blood. Is that anyway to speak to your own brother?"

Alek scoffed. "Right, brothers. Do you know what our parents would say if they were here now?" He wondered.

Dimitre's smirk disappeared and his eyes narrowed in warning. Apparently Alek could care less.

"They would tell me to fix the mistake they made thirteen years ago."

"Alek." He warned.

"If they could see you now. They would wish they had let you die in that fire." He said angrily.

"Shut the fuck up! Don't make me do something I really don't want to do." He threatened.

Alek snorted. "What, kill me? You already said I'm the only thing keeping her here. Be my fucking guest."

"Don't. Push. Me." He emphasized every word.

Dimitre sighed and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up slightly.

"Go ahead." Alek dared. "Do it."

Dimitre sniffed and cocked his head to the side. "Alright."

He reached behind his back, faster than I could blink, and took out a gun, aimed and pulling the trigger.

_BANG!_

I felt a piercing pain in my chest, and was thrown backwards by the force, hitting the ground.

"Chloe!" Alek shouted.

I brought my hand up to the source of the pain instinctively. When it became too much, I screamed out.

I don't know how long I laid there, but I was waiting for it to be over.

"Why the hell isn't she healing?" I heard someone, I'm assuming Alek, demand.

I couldn't really tell who was speaking. Everything around me began getting hazier. My vision was blurring and it was getting harder to breathe.

"It's the moonstone. Her ability to come back to life is the only thing that's not completely effected by it… it just slows it down a bit." I think it was Dimitre who said that.

"I warned you, Alek"

A figure walked toward me. They looked unusually tall from my perspective. I blinked and tried to make out their face.

Whoever it was, bent down, and I felt myself being lifted up. Bridal style.

"I'm sorry Chloe. I know you're in pain. I really didn't want to have to do that." He whispered.

And for the second time that day,

_Everything. _

_Went. _

_Black._

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><p><strong>Leave a review telling me what you think.<strong>

**REGARDING UPDATES:**

**I'm now juggling a TNLOCK and Twilight story (I'm equally passionate about both), since both are so popular, reviews will be what largely determines update frequency. I'm not demanding reviews, I'm just being honest. I can't base it on hits... surprisingly enough, even though the story's relatively new, Twilight's in the lead. Because I think there's a larger Twilight fan base, looking at hits wouldn't be fair to you guys. I figured reviews was the best way to judge. **

**Until next time :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Finally got this uploaded! Almost 5,000 words (THREE chapters in one!)... hopefully this makes up for my absence :D**

**Leave a review when you're finished... if there's still anyone still out there that is... :/**

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><p>I woke up to the sound of a door clicking shut. My eyes slowly blinked open and I saw nothing but darkness.<p>

I felt completely disoriented, and could not remember how I had ended up here. There was nothing but pitch black to look at, I couldn't even tell where "here" was. I guess my Mai abilities were still practically non existent.

_A hint of night vision would be great right now._

Though I couldn't see where I was, I did feel something soft and plush supporting my entire body.

I tried to lift myself up, into a sitting position, but immediately stilled when I felt an intense pain spread across my chest.

A soft chuckle filled the room.

"Not a good idea, Chloe."

Unfortunately, it didn't take any of my abilities to recognize that voice.

I glared at the ceiling that was just now starting to appear, as my eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Dimitre," it wasn't a question. More like an acknowledgment of his presence.

"Well good morning to you too." He said sarcastically. "Do you say everyone's name like that, or am I just special?"

"Special," I replied curtly. "but not in the good way."

At this point, my eyes had adjusted to the lack of light. As much as they could anyway. I could even see him. He was sitting in a chair, right by the bed. I couldn't see his eyes, but I could feel them on me. I started to fidget uncomfortably.

From the corner of my eye I could just barely see a slit of sunlight.

"So… are you going to let some light in, or are we going to sit here in the dark?" The lack of my full vision was starting to get to me.

He said nothing, probably smirking to himself, but got up and walked toward the other end of the room. He pulled back a thick curtain, and I squinted my eyes as the sudden brightness filled the room.

"Better?"

"Yes, as a matter a fact, it is." I scowled at him.

"How are you feeling anyway?" He asked, completely unaffected. As usual.

His question caught me off guard, but that is when I remembered exactly what happened. The memories of last night flooded through my mind. Not only did I remember _what _had happened, but I also remembered _who _had caused it.

"You shot me." I stated calmly. "You fucking shot me!"

I ground my teeth together to keep from lunging at him. I would only end up hurting myself in the process and he wasn't worth it.

He cast his eyes down, almost as if he were actually sorry for what he had done.

_Yeah, right._

"I really didn't want to have to do what I did." He said barely above a whisper.

"Then why the hell did you?" I seethed.

He pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against, and walked towards me. His expression was unreadable. If I didn't know any better, I would say that he was angry just as angry as I was, if not more.

"Alright, if you haven't already noticed, my dear old brother and I have got some issues."He laughed bitterly.

I huffed and rolled my eyes. It was the weakest excuse I had ever heard, and I told him just that.

He let out a long frustrated sigh, and tugged at his hair, a move I had seen Alek do countless times before. I wondered if he realized just how similar he was to his brother, aside from the obvious.

"He pushed me too far," He growled. "Now he knows better."

I couldn't remember exactly what Alek had said to set his brother off, but I did know one thing for sure, it had to do with their parents. His past. The same past he often avoided talking about in conversations. He was always vague when speaking about it. Giving you a little bit, but never too much.

It was oftentimes frustrating. I had talked to him about my dad leaving. He knew so much about me and the only thing I knew about his past was that his parents were killed in a Mai slaughter.

"What happened to your parents?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.

He said nothing, and I figured that he was putting up walls, just like his brother.

"I would have thought my brother already filled you in?"

"Yeah... well he didn't" I muttered. "But considering I just got shot, obviously because of whatever happened, I think I deserve to know."

He seemed to be debating in his head, whether to tell nor not, but he finally sighed and walked back toward me.

"We were only three." He started "I honestly barely remember anything. The only reason I even know what happened is because someone told me when I was 'old enough to understand'" He scoffed and chuckled darkly, before meeting my eyes. "Because after finding out that their parents were murdered, a twelve year old would do just that... understand." He said sarcastically, anger lying underneath his words.

He was taking himself back to a time he'd rather forget. I could hear it in his voice. I just hoped he wouldn't close himself off before I found out what happened. It was a little more than common curiosity at this point. I was dying to know what screwed this guy up so badly. More importantly, what Alek had gone through.

"My mom was an especially sweet lady. She was always seeing the good in people, even when others didn't." One side of his mouth curved up slightly, before falling suddenly. "Turns out that was her greatest weakness. It's the reason my parents were killed... she trusted the wrong people."

I followed his movements as he came closer, sitting on the far edge of the bed.

"One night they came, usual smiles and everything, then bam, they turned on my parents in the time it takes to pull out a gun and pull the trigger." He was scowling at the carpeted floor.

"I thought they died in a fire? Alek made it sound like-" He responded before I could finish.

"No, he was right." He said, confusing me even more. "My dad was shot in the shoulder, but it wasn't fatal and my mom ducked. The bullet shattered the kitchen window instead. She panicked, grabbed a kitchen knife, and stabbed the woman trying to kill her." I cringed at the mental image I was getting. "Dad tackled the man to the ground and somehow a fire got started and it spread quickly. Alek was in the kitchen doorway the whole time, watched it all go down."

I couldn't stop myself from letting out a shocked gasp at that piece of information. He was only three years old. Most people hardly remember anything from their early childhood, but something this traumatic could stay with a person forever... even if all he got were flashes of memories from time to time. It was beginning to make more sense. Why he never spoke about this before.

He was trying to forget.

"What happened next?" I asked.

"The other guy picked up the bitch that shot at my mom and ran out. They got Alek outside safely, but my parents both ran to get me... except I wasn't there." His eyes were still trained on the ground, almost as though he was speaking to it and not me. "They were searching for something that wasn't even there. Next thing you know, the house blows up."

He finally looked at me "I'm sure you can guess ending to this story." He said coldly.

I could see the pain masked by a stony and seemingly angry exterior. Eyes always betray you in that way. You can put on the best performance of your life, yet somehow they always manage to let that little speck of truth emerge.

I nodded, but kept quiet. It felt as though we were sitting in silence for hours, before he stood up suddenly and began to head toward the door.

"What happened to you?" I said to his back.

He paused with one hand on the doorknob, still keeping his back to me.

"Now that's a loaded question."

He was right. It could be taken one of many ways. What happened to you that night? What happened to you... what turned you into the person you are today? Alek and Dimitre were like night and day. Aside from their looks and some similar traits, they couldn't be more different. Alek would never hurt, let alone kill someone unless they were a threat to the people he cared about. Dimitre on the other hand, would take a life without so much as blinking or showing the slightest hesitation. Something changed within him, and I couldn't help but wonder why?

"That night." I clarified. "What happened to you that night? You said you weren't in the house."

"See that's the part that no one knows."

"Wait a minute," I furrowed my brows as another question came to mind. "How do you know all this then?"

"My dad's best friend was there. He helped him fight off the other guy and was the one who got Alek outside... he heard my mom shout out for me before she died."

I tried to imagine Dimitre as a twelve year old boy, growing up somewhere in America. He said he'd had a "rough upbringing", but I tried to push that aside. He was still just a kid. Carefree. Completely in the dark, not knowing about his tragic past. Then I imagined the innocence in his eyes fading as he suddenly learned the truth about what really happened to his parents.

That was it.

Being lied to for nine years. That was what brought that dark side of him out. Any innocence that was left died that day, right along with his twelve year old self.

He turned his head towards me, but didn't meet my eyes.

"Story gets better actually." He said. "When I was thirteen I got a package in the mail. No return address."

I opened my mouth to ask, but never got the chance.

"My mom's journal." He stated flatly. "Even had burn marks and everything."

"You read it." I stated.

"Cover to cover." This time he did meet my gaze. "It gave me the one thing I wanted most."

"Closure?"

He chuckled at that and shook his head. "The name of the man who killed them."

"And that would be..." I trailed off.

"None of your concern, kitten." He finished with a grin, before opening the door and leaving the room.

I glared at the door and restrained myself from flipping him off. The story of how his parents died was heartbreaking. Unlike him, I didn't have a heart of stone and I sympathized with him to a certain extent. Finding out the truth when he was twelve surely messed with his head, but that didn't give him the right to be a Grade A dick... or kidnap and shoot me for that matter.

I rotated my shoulder and was surprised to feel the pain in my chest lessening. Ten minutes ago I could barely move. This meant that I was getting back to normal.

Leaning further back into the pillows, I decided.

As soon as I'm fully healed... I'm finding the three of them and getting the hell out of here.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, I was staring at the plate of food that had been brought in a while ago. It was still lying there, on the bedside table, completely untouched.<p>

It was some kind of creamy pasta dish. If I were being completely honest, I would admit that it looked more than a little appetizing, but there was no way in hell I was eating that.

The pain in my chest had dulled down to barely an ache. I was thinking of plans and waiting for my opportunity. For all I knew, they could have laced the food with some kind of drug. I would most likely only get one shot at an escape and I was not by any means jeopardizing that.

I hopped off the bed and made my way toward the curtained window. The sunlight was no longer shining through. Instead, my eyes were met by a colorful interlude between night and day. The city lights were illuminated and the upper part of the sky was a deep shade of blue. The horizon was a completely different story. It looked as if a flame exploded and raced across the sky.

"If I wasn't in this situation, I would call that one of the prettiest things I've ever seen." I said softly to myself.

There was a fire escape right outside. It looked mildly rusted, but still usable. Dimitre obviously knew I wouldn't try anything until I was sure Alek was okay. It was too easy. Freedom was right there, but I wouldn't risk it.

Just as I was about to sit back on the bed, the door burst open.

Dimitre.

I didn't even look at his face, I saw blonde hair and sighed instantly in annoyance.

"What now?" I asked in a clipped tone.

Before I could even look him in the eye, his lips were on mine. He was kissing me. Hard.

"What the fuck!" I recoiled immediately, pressing my palms to his chest and pushing him away.

Using the back of my sleeve, I wiped my lips and turned away from him.

"Care to explain why you just kissed me as though I came back from the dead or something?" I demanded harshly.

"Because I thought you were dead." He said quietly.

My eyes widened at the sound of that voice. Never in my life have I been happier to hear a British accent. I whipped around to face him again and took note of his appearance. He was adorning the exact same shirt and worn out jeans he'd been wearing inside the warehouse.

The room was dimly lit, but that only made his dark eyes seem even darker.

Every thing pointed to the same thing. His clothes, his voice, his eye color. All of them proved that this was really Alek. I glanced back at the untouched food and briefly wondered if this was some kind of hunger induced hallucination.

"How do I know it's really you" It killed me to do so, but I had to ask. I'd already been fooled once and his brother wasn't exactly the most stable guy. This could easily be his idea of a sick joke.

He didn't say anything. He simply snaked one arm around my waist and pulled me in, bringing his face down to mine slowly. His lips brushed against mine softly, before he applied a bit more pressure. This kiss wasn't hungry or hard. It was tender, completely unrushed, and meant to say more than any verbally spoken words ever could.

When I still believed Dimitre was Alek, he had kissed me too. I didn't want to admit to myself, but it felt wrong in the moment. I couldn't understand the reason at the time, which is exactly why I pushed it into the back of my mind.

He pulled back slightly and leaned his forehead against mine.

"Is that proof enough?" He breathed.

All I could do was nod dumbly while I regained my ability of normal speech.

I cleared my throat. "You were tied up. How did you get here?" I asked in disbelief.

He cupped my face with both hands and gave me a quick kiss before saying "Long story, but we have to get out of here."

He walked over to the window and unlocked it, pushing it up hurriedly.

"Wait a minute," he halted his movements at my voice. "What about Valentina and Jasmine?"

"No one can hurt them now. They're waiting for us. Come on." He motioned toward the open window and made his way through it before offering a hand to me.

There was something off about the way he said those words, but I pushed my uncertainty aside, accepting his extended hand through the window. I swung my leg over the window sill. The metal rattled noticeably as my feet landed upon it.

Alek kept hold of my hand as we made our way down the four sets of stairs. When we reached the bottom, we ignored the sliding ladder and jumped over the railing. As soon as we hit the ground, Alek lead me toward the back side of the building.

There was a chain link fence at the very edge of the lot. We ran at full speed, getting there in a matter of seconds.

"Jump." He nodded.

Leaving no room for hesitation, I bent my knees slightly and pushed off the ground, using the momentum from my jump to make it onto the other side.

He grabbed my hand again and tugged me along. We did the only thing we could do.

We ran.

It started to rain as we made our way through the unfamiliar city, but that did little to deter us. Right now, we were only focused on one thing. Getting as far away from that place as possible.

When we finally stopped, both of us were completely soaked. The rain was no longer light. It was pounding down on the pavement and everything else in sight. I couldn't worry about that right now though. I looked around, squinting my eyes as water droplets hit my face.

From the looks of it, we'd managed to find ourselves in a park. I had never been to New York City, but even I knew where we were.

Central Park.

Under any other circumstances, I would have been amazed to be standing here. Right now I was any thing but that. It was dark and everything appeared so ghostlike... eerie. It was almost as if all of those statues, every fountain, every intricately crafted stone bridge, was only there to taunt you.

We passed a bronze statue of _Alice In Wonderland_. She was sitting on top of an over sized mushroom, the kind you could only find in a fantasy world. Accompanied by the White Rabbit and Mad Hatter at her sides. She had a small childlike smile on her face, but I couldn't help the frown that appeared on mine.

_We _definitely weren't in Wonderland. I'd much rather face a hundred Queen of Hearts than to be here right now.

I shivered as we passed by what felt like the thousandth fountain with statues. Alek stopped and asked me if I was alright, nodding I continued to walk until we reached an arching stone bridge.

"Can't we rest for a while?" I asked once we were under it.

"Sure."

I let out a breath of relief and slid down the smooth wall I was leaning against. I immediately cringed as I sat down. My jeans were heavy and weighed down by water.

Not exactly the best feeling in the world.

I wrung my hair out. It did little to help, but it was better than nothing.

"Alek?" He was leaning against the wall opposite to were I was seated, staring out at the pouring rain, arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah." He replied without looking at me.

"You said they were waiting for us," His shoulders visibly slumped. "where are they? Where's Valentina and Jasmine?"

He turned his head to look at me and I immediately knew that I wouldn't like what I was about to hear. Remember what I said about the eyes revealing truth, well by doing that, they occasionally serve another purpose. They prepare you for what's to come.

I immediately felt a lump in my throat and he hadn't even said anything yet. It was one of those unexplainable times where you just knew.

I stood up shakily. "Alek?" I pressed.

"Valentina and Jasmine..." He paused, and I could literally feel the hurt and remorse radiating off of him. "are the only reason why I got out. They were lying there covered in blood," This time he let out a shaky breath "Jasmine was already... gone. But Valentina was still holding on. Barely. She told me not to look back... to run. To get to you. Protect you."

I swallowed slowly as realization hit me full force. He had lied to me. They were dead. They died so that Alek could escape... so that he could get to me.

"_It's our job to protect you at all costs. A single life of yours is more precious than all of ours combined."_

Valentina's voice replayed in my head. I remember when she had spoken those words to me.

_Jasmine shrugged._

"_I'm not afraid of death, Chloe." She said._

_I couldn't help but to stare at her, not believing her words for a second._

_She rolled her eyes and shook her head._

"_Don't worry, I don't plan on dying any time soon." She laughed and turned her head to look at me "But just so you know, I'd die before I let you lose another life... pretty sure the same goes for Alek."_

_It was quiet for a moment as I let what she had said settle into my mind. I smiled at her and turned my head back toward the movie._

"Chloe?" Alek's voice brought me out of my memories. He was in front of me now, holding me against his chest and using the pad of his thumb to brush away the tears that I hadn't even noticed running down my already wet face. "I know this is hard, but we have to keep going."

I clutched onto him, pressing my face into his shirt.

"Why would they do that?" I managed to force out. "Do something so stupid. Something that left them both dead."

He sighed into my hair and pulled back to look at down at me.

"They did it to protect you." He said softly. "Valentina may have only shown her toughness, but deep down, she cared about you. Jasmine too. It wasn't just because you're the Uniter... it stopped being about that a long time ago. Technically, yes, it was their job to protect you but that's not why they did it."

He kept referring to them in the past tense and for some reason that suddenly made me furious.

Everything came flooding back to me. Xavier. Brian. Valentina. Jasmine.

How many more people was I going to unintentionally put in danger? Sure, I didn't kill Brian, but I saw the look on his face when we last saw each other. I might as well have.

Suddenly an image flashed in my head. It was Alek. Lying lifeless on the ground, covered in blood. Crimson staining his cotton shirt. His eyes were closed; lips slightly parted, and if you looked closely enough at his face, you might fool yourself into thinking he was just sleeping.

I pushed him away from me then, squeezing my eyes shut and shaking by head furiously, as more tears began to fall.

"They died because of me Alek!" I cried hysterically, jabbing a finger into my own chest. "Look at all I've done. Ever since I found out what I was there's been nothing but death... I hurt people without even trying to. Even when I'm not around I hurt people."

"Chloe, it's not―" He tried.

"No." I gritted out. "Don't you _dare_ say it's not my fault."

His face looked pained as he looked back at me, trying to decide what to say next. How to make this better. The only problem?

He couldn't.

I didn't even think about the rain still crashing down, I pushed passed him and walked back outside.

"Chloe!" He shouted after me.

I jerked back around to face him, throwing up my arms in exasperation. He was partially under the bridge, and a few yards from where I was standing.

"What Alek?" I spat, raising my voice over the sound of the showering rain. "What could you possibly have to say to me? Are you going to lie right to my face again? Calm me down? Trick me into believing that everything is fucking okay... when in reality it's not!" I was breathing hard by the time I finished.

A look of anger washed over his face. "No I'm not! You want the truth? I'll give it to you gladly!" He yelled as he came stalking towards me, until he was right in my face.

He took hold of my face in both hands, and leaned how towards me.

"It was a diversion for us to escape. All of us. I meant it when I said they loved you, but they didn't sacrifice themselves for you... not intentionally anyway. The plan went wrong. Dimitre had just left, we heard the car driving away and there were only two guards in the room, so we made our move. We managed to get untied and took out the two men, but then another one showed up. He shot Jasmine once in the stomach and again in the chest. I grabbed one of the guard's guns and shot him, but there were two gunshots. He was dead, and Valentina was hurt badly. I couldn't even look at Jasmine lying there. She knew they'd be back soon and she also knew something else. It's why she told me to run." He finished leaning his forehead against mine, our noses touching lightly.

"What did she know?" I asked barely above a whisper.

He swallowed.

"That I love you." He confessed. "But not in the way that they do."

I blinked rapidly, fighting the rain out of my eyes.

My jaw nearly dropped. I was speechless.

He loved me?

I thought pack to that image of him in my head. The pain I felt seeing him that way, even only in my mind was overwhelming. He wasn't even actually dead. The real, perfectly safe Alek, was standing right in front of me, but even the mere thought of losing him had my heart breaking.

That's how I knew. I loved him. I think I loved him even when I thought I hated him. Jasmine was gone. Valentina was gone. I could never get them back, but Alek was here... right here.

I was crying again, but this time, for an entirely different reason.

"I love you." I said, leaning back to look into his eyes. His hair was drenched, pieces of it sticking to his forehead.

He never looked better.

I brought a hand up to it and brushed it aside. "I love you, Alek." I repeated.

He grinned slowly and for a second, I felt as though we were anywhere but here.

Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kissed him. Slow at first, before we both seemed to become increasingly impatient, changing the tempo completely. I could taste the rain running down our faces, and yet I couldn't find it within myself to care.

He was the one to pull away. I guess he had more self control than me.

"As much as I'd love to continue this, we really do have to keep going." He said seriously. "They probably already found out what happened. If they find us, Jasmine and Valentina would have died for nothing."

I nodded and we both took off, having no clue where we were headed.

We found ourselves at a random hotel. It definitely was not the Park Avenue kind of luxurious, but it was still comfortable and better than being out in the streets of New York. Alek had charmed the girl at the front desk into letting us stay here free of charge for the night.

He refused to tell me what he had said to her. I'm sure I could just ask her if I was that intent on finding out, but I refrained from doing so.

Only Alek could show up soaking wet, to what looked like a three star hotel, and still charm one of the female workers into getting what he wanted.

I tied my hair into a messy bun of curls. Alek was in the bathroom showering. I'd done the same thing only fifteen minutes ago.

The girl was kind enough to let us barrow some clothes that employees kept stashed away for emergencies. She gave me a lavender fitted tee along with some loosely fitted gray sweatpants. I decided then that the girl was actually a decent person.

She must have been no older than eighteen. Maybe nineteen at the most. She had shoulder length brown hair and light blue eyes. Her heart shaped face and small nose were what most girls wished for. The girl obviously felt attraction, but I couldn't really hold that against her. Besides, she was going out of her way, possibly risking her job, to help us out.

As I was thinking back to the brunette girl, Alek stepped out of the bathroom. He was in a pair of sweats also, but unlike me, he worn a t shirt with the worn out name of some random band.

We hadn't really talked, since we arrived here. I was happy when I found out he loved me. Hell, I was still happy, but it was hard to ignore the dark shadow around us, dampening the mood more than just slightly.

Death.

I must have been staring at myself in the mirror for too long, because I felt him come up behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist and rested his chin on my shoulder. My eyes met his when I finally broke out of my thoughts.

"Hey." He said gently.

I gave him a small close-lipped smile and leaned my head against his.

"Hey." I offered weakly.

I was tired of thinking. Tired of feeling guilty, as if all of this was on me. So much had happened in these last twenty four hours. My mother was probably worried out of her mind. Either that, or ready to kill me.

Go ahead mom, you wouldn't be the first to have tried.

Tonight I was tired. I didn't want to be the Uniter. I wanted to be Chloe King, a regular sixteen year old girl. I didn't want to think; I wanted to feel.

I glanced at the bed in the mirror and sighed before closing my eyes.

"Alek, make me forget."

* * *

><p><strong>QUESTION: Is it too soon for a lemon? I know I killed off V &amp; J (sorry btw) and it's a sad time, but it just feels like this is the right time for them to "get together". Anyone opposed? haha<strong>

**Love you all**

**-J **


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